My Heart's Lavender Eyes
by Naruto's overseer
Summary: NaruHina. Is really a Romance/Comedy/Angst/Suspense/Adventure. It is a hilarious story of Naruto's life after he becomes Chunnin. It starts just after the beginning of the Shippuden series.
1. Ichiraku's

_** My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 1:**_

_**Ichiraku's**_

* * *

His name was Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki. There aren't very many short ways to accurately describe Naruto, but there is always the long way.

To tell you a little bit about his life. _**  
**_

He was sixteen years of age last October, and he had just gotten the Chunnin exams out of the way.

Three years ago, completing the Chunnin examines would have seemed like a huge accomplishment. But now that he was much older, he could see that it was not a big deal to him. Most of his friends became Chunnin while he was gone training with Jiraiya, and many of them were already Jounin. He often sighed to himself in defeat. Because despite his strong build and height, Naruto was often tagged as a loser, a failure that could never amount to any formidable strengths.

He was out to prove them wrong, but he didn't have the resources to do so. He needed to be allowed to train full-out, without any hindrances. If he was allowed to do that, he knew that with that training regimin in place, he could beat anyone.

His training with Jiraiya was over, so now he had to train on his own.

That is where I will start the tale.

It all begins in the village of Konoha, in the Land of Fire. We find our favorite knuckle-headed ninja at Ichiraku's ramen shop, doing we he does best…

"You're annoying the crap out of me!" shouted Sakura.

Naruto was laying on the ground next to his seat, holding himself up slightly with one hand while rubbing his forehead in pain.

Sakura was standing next to her seat, her fist was still raised from the blow she dealt to Naruto's skull.

"What the heck did I do!?" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto was still sitting on the ground, holding his head with a look of distaste on his face.

"What makes you think that I would ever go on a date with you?" asked Sakura incredulously.

She was feeling kind of guilty that she had punched him over such a simple yet hopeful question.

"I've told you a hundred times no…" added Sakura with a guilty expression.

"Well… It still doesn't give you the grounds to hit me like that…" said Naruto, pouting in a childish manner.

Sakura would admit that she was always a bit rough on Naruto, she always felt a bit guilty about it.

"(Sigh) Stop sulking and get back up here, so I can treat you to some ramen you big push-over." said Sakura with a small smile on her face.

"Alright Yeah! RAMEN!" said Naruto happily.

He quickly returned to his seat at the bar.

"Three large bowls of Miso ramen for me please!" said Naruto.

Sakura smiled weakly.

_'Naruto always looks for an excuse to make it look like nothing is wrong with him. He doesn't want anyone to know when he's sad... So he covers it up with goofiness and a smile.' _thought Sakura.

It was admirable in a way, but it always saddened her to know he was in some sort of pain.

_'Naruto, what are you going to do with yourself?' _thought Sakura.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a voice from behind the counter of the bar.

"Three large Miso?" asked Teuchi.

The owner smiled at his favorite customer knowing that he always came into his shop with a smile on his face and a look of dedication… and hunger.

"Coming right up!" said Teuchi happily.

Teuchi had owned the shop for several years after his father retired from the shop business, and it was still running strong.

"Ayame, get that order ready while I prepare the dishes." said Teuchi.

"Mmmkay, right away!" said Ayame happily.

She began to prep the noodle batter, getting ready to make a fresh batch for their favorite customer.

Ayame, being the daughter of Ichiraku, has always been kind of shy around most customers. But she always had a smile on her face when Naruto came into the shop, because he always made her feel better. He would walk in and show her his smile, and she would feel happier just seeing it. But today, Naruto was not his happiest.

Naruto had been dealing with a lot lately. Iruka was constantly teaching, Sakura was constantly studying under Tsunade, Kakashi and Jiraiya were always on missions concerning who knows what, and he never seemed to see his friends anymore due to the fact that most of them were Jounin and were needed the most.

On top of that, there was only one guy that had ever been close enough to Naruto to consider him his brother. But he vanished, and Naruto considered it all his fault.

But that happened three years ago, just before he left Konoha with Jiraiya.

He was always alone, there didn't seem to be anybody that he could talk to or bond with except...

_**"Me..."**_said Kyuubi with a smirk.

"(Sigh)"

It had been awhile since Kyuubi had talked to him last.

**_"It's been a few days kit... Are you still mad at me?"_** asked Kyuubi with a snide smile.

Even though Naruto did like to talk to people, he still did not think that a demon sealed inside you since birth was a good thing to talk to. But he had been talking to him for a long time now, usually on a normal basis. But the Kyuubi had recently become insufferable due to his need to be freed.

"(Sigh) What do you want?" asked Naruto in an annoyed and accusing manner.

Kyuubi's form blinked at Naruto through his cage, his eyes being the only thing visible to Naruto at the time.

Even though Naruto couldn't fully see Kyuubi's body like usual, it didn't make it any harder to hear his deep and powerfully demonic baritone voice.

**_"Hm... you might want to just think our conversation in your mind, instead of speaking aloud. I'll still hear you, and your female friend there won't think you're a weirdo..." _**said Kyuubi.**_  
_**

Naruto looked over at Sakura to find that she was looking at him with a confused face.

"Wha... What do you mean?" asked Sakura.

"Huh?" said Naruto confusingly

"You said: What do you want?" said Sakura.

_'Ooops, guess I did say that out loud...' _thought Naruto.

"Oh, I was wondering what you wanted to eat... I wouldn't really feel right unless I offered some food to you too." said Naruto.

He hoped that she would believe his quick lie.

"Oh, I'm not hungry..." said Sakura as she looked at the counter.

"Oh, Okay." said Naruto.

_'Phew that was close... (sigh) Now what do you want?' _asked Naruto again.

**_"What do you mean by that Naruto? Can't a thousand year old Demon Fox Lord talk to his host without him being suspicious to his actions?" _**asked Kyuubi innocently.**_  
_**

_'Uh... No. Whenever you talk to me, it is either during a battle and you are lending me your power so that you can survive, or because you want to talk me into doing something that would be of great personal gain for you.' _said Naruto.

**_"That's not true and you know it. I've helped you a great number of times. Whether it was advice, or a question about training. I've always been here with you._**" said Kyuubi matter of factly.

_'Yeah well, lately you've really become annoying. Every other thing you talk about has to do with me letting you go free.'_ said Naruto.

_**"Fine, be that way! I just wanted to be nice and strike up a conversation with you for once! You know it gets boring sitting in here doing nothing..." **_muttered Kyuubi._**  
**_

_'Hmmmm... I suppose it does...' _said Naruto.

He decisively ended the conversation with that. He didn't want to talk to talk to Kyuubi, especially right now.

He ate his ramen contently, enjoying every moment of his lunch. He began to notice that Sakura kept looking over at him in a curious yet worried manner.

He glanced at her sideways for a moment, noticing she was sort of spacing out.

_'I wonder what she's thinking about…' _thought Naruto.

_'I wonder if he notices that I'm looking at him...' _thought Sakura as she worriedly observed him.

* * *

What they didn't notice, was that there was a figure hiding in the shadows across the street, watching the two Shinobi sitting at the ramen shop.

She had lavender eyes, long indigo hair, a lavender and white wind jacket, and baggy dark blue capris.

Her name was Hinata Hyuuga. She had always seen Naruto as an inspiration and a good friend, but a long time ago she realized she had more feelings for Naruto than a simple crush. She had desperately fallen in love with the boy, and she very much wanted to be closer than just friends. She often found Naruto trying to go after Sakura, ever since the academy days. And Naruto had never shown any interest towards herself. No matter how hard she tried, she never could muster the courage to tell Naruto how she felt. But it wasn't like she hadn't spent a lot of time with him. She'd spent as much time as possible with him. On missions, Friendly get-togethers, and even dinners. Even though she spent more time with Naruto than most of her friends, she had never once had the courage to tell him how much she cared for him.

She hated to see it this way, but she figured that practically every girl in Konoha had a better chance with Naruto than she did. And one of the prettiest girls was on the same team as Naruto.

So she decided to try to forget about Naruto so she could move on and look for a realistic man to eventually call her own.

She had low expectations about who would eventually end up with her, especially when her father might pair her with some pompous pure-blood Hyuuga. She didn't think any guy would really go for her, unless they knew of what they would be gaining by marrying into her regal family.

She looked down at her hands that clung around the post. They were mostly covered up by her long sleeves.

_'Even my hands seem timid, hiding under my sleeves...' _thought Hinata depressingly.

Even with these low expectations for herself, she just couldn't find any other man. Every man she looked at, just wasn't Naruto. No man would never ever even come close to Naruto. He was so kind and courageous. Happy and caring. Funny and lively. Helpful and strong. Not to mention that he wasn't too bad to look at.

_'Not too bad at all...' _thought Hinata with a sigh.

It didn't help that as the years went by, Naruto started developing more… maturing features. This caused her to not only long for the boy even more, but she had caught herself almost drooling over him many times. She regretted it every time it happened to her. Normally she had impressively strong self-control, but when Naruto was around, she turned into butter. She knew it was improper to react to something in such a manner, and no matter how many times she would tell herself she wouldn't do it, she would anyways. She always embarrassed herself when she did it, but so far, no one but a small few of her best friends had caught her doing it.

And God knows what would happen if her father or the Hyuuga elders caught her. But she couldn't help it. Naruto was so inspiring and amazing, goofy and funny, talented and strong. She knew that Naruto would always be amazing to her.

_'Naruto… What I would give just to have enough guts to tell you how I feel...' _thought Hinata.

She continued to hide behind a post of a merchant shop on the corner across the street, watching then with a look of longing. She never dared get any closer then where she stood, she really didn't have the guts.

_'Sakura has way more of a chance with him then I do... and she's not even interested in him. I want Naruto... Naruto wants Sakura, and Sakura wants Sasuke. But none of us can have who we want. Naruto can't have Sakura, because Sakura doesn't want Naruto. Sakura can't have Sasuke because he's a missing nin. And I can't have Naruto... Because I don't have the courage to tell him...' _thought Hinata sadly.

She thought to herself silently while clinging to the corner post for support, leaning against it like it was comfort itself.

* * *

Back at Ichiraku's, Sakura found herself still thinking about similar things.

_'Naruto… why do you have an interest in me? Is it plainly because I am pretty, or because you like who I am as a person? If you like me for my looks, then I can easily reject you without feeling guilty. Even after everything that has happened... I still have feelings for Sasuke, and I will wait as long as it takes to resolve these feelings I have. But I still don't like rejecting Naruto in the mean time.' _thought Sakura.

She continued to stare at Naruto, wondering what he was really thinking.

"Sakura, is something wrong?" asked Naruto confusingly.

Sakura snapped out of her thinking to see a worried looking Naruto frowning at her.

"Oh, sorry! I kind of lost concentration there..." stammered Sakura.

She realized that she had probably been gawking at him the entire time like an idiot.

She looked away in embarrassment, hoping that he would just continue eating his ramen.

But Naruto had already finished eating, and was giving her quite the look of concern.

"It's okay. You trained hard today. So it is no big surprise that you aren't sleeping right now." said Naruto, assuring her with his trade-mark grin.

Sakura smiled at his reply.

_'I'm surprised I'M not sleeping right now, my life is so boring... We don't get ANY interesting or exciting missions... Except for that one a month ago when Shikamaru almost got laid to remain incognito... And Ino was not happy about that one, considering she was the woman that was supposed to be with him. That was funny... But that was a while ago now, and I'm unsatisfied with how everything is panning out. I feel as though something is missing, but I can't place what it is. Whatever it is it hurts. It feels like some ebbing pain... It seems familiar like loneliness, but it pains me so much more.' thought Naruto._

**_"Whatever pain you are feeling, I assure you that it is not physically life threatening. I cannot sense anything wrong with your body at the moment aside from some bad spirit energy."_**said Kyuubi.

_'Spirit what? (Sigh) Never mind.'_said Naruto.

**_"...Never mind?" _**asked Kyuubi.

_'Look what good you turned out to be...' _muttered Naruto.

**_"Don't you back-sass me kit!!" _**warned Kyuubi angrily.

Naruto rolled his eyes.

_**"(Sigh) I am just telling you that I can't feel whatever pain you are feeling. It must be a feeling foreign or distant to me. I cannot help you."** _said Kyuubi.

_'Whatever. It's not that important anyway...' _said Naruto.

**_"..."_**

**_"Well, based on your past experiences with pain, what do you usually do?" _**asked Kyuubi, although he already knew the answer.

_'I will do what I always do, train hard and ignore it.' _thought Naruto decisively, as he always did.

He looked over to the stool next to him to see that Sakura looked kind of fidgety in her seat.

"Well, I had better get on home, my mother doesn't like it when I am late coming home from morning traini…" began Sakura.

(Poof)

She was suddenly interrupted by a loud noise to their left.

It was a cloud of smoke that suddenly appeared on top of the vacant seat next to Naruto.

The cloud quickly faded to reveal a man with a very serious look on his face.

Although the bottom half of his face was covered by a mask, and his left eye was covered by his headband, you could easily tell that he was not in the best of moods.

"Kakashi sensei!" exclaimed Sakura.

She was surprised to see the normally content Special Jounin looking so… depressed.

"Naruto, Sakura, the Hokage requests your immediate audience." said Kakashi.

Kakashi may have always worn a mask, but his only visible facial feature clearly depicted sadness.

Naruto hadn't noticed this feature, so he immediately replied without another thought.

"Alright, don't get your panties in knot." said Naruto.

Naruto jumped up from his seat, and began searching his pockets.

_'Panties?' _thought Kakashi.

He discreetly checked his person.

_'That was a crazy party last night, and I didn't have time to change...' _thought Kakashi.

"Here, I'll pay." said Naruto.

He lifted up the back of his shirt to get to his back pocket which held his Froggy wallet which he had aptly named Gamma.

* * *

Across the street, Hinata was turning a shade of red as Naruto lifted up the back of his shirt, revealing a little bit of his boxers.

_'I wonder what he would look like with just those on...' _thought Hinata as she blushed even deeper.

She caught herself thinking this and immediately hit herself in the forehead to rid herself of such perverted thoughts.

_'NO, NO, that is improper!' _thought Hinata.

She found it embarrassing in the least to be believe how easily her mind would jump to such things about Naruto.

She brought her hands together in front of her, and began to clear her mind.

She clouded everything else out. It was just her, and her mind. With her eyes closed and her mind calmed, her other senses heightened. She even began to smell the ramen aroma coming from Ichiraku's. The soothing sound of the wind and low random mumblings of the people passing by, seemed to have her calmed down.

As Hinata cleared her mind, she heard a loud noise behind her and by instinct, turned on her Byakugan to defend herself.

She whirled her vision behind her to find that the source of the loud noise was coming from the ground at her feet.

But it turned out to only be a leaf in the wind, brushing against the ground to make a strangely loud scratching noise.

Back over at the shop Naruto felt the chakra activation from Hinata's Byakugan, so he quickly put himself on alert by standing up, and concentrating on his surroundings.

As soon as Naruto jumped from his seat, Sakura and Kakashi also jumped from their seats.

"What is it Naruto?" asked Sakura worriedly, looking around for any signs of danger.

Kakashi and Sakura had immediately reacted, they knew from past experience that when Naruto's instincts became defensive, that it was time to be defensive as quickly as possible.

Naruto quickly looked about his surroundings to find the source of the small spike of chakra. He relaxed when he noticed that it was coming from a certain little Hyuuga girl across the street.

Naruto relaxed from his position and went back to standing, signaling Sakura a quick thumbs up.

Then turned and smiled at Hinata.

"Hey! Hinata!" shouted Naruto.

Surprised to hear her name being called, she focused on the source of the noise, and turned to look at Naruto using her Byakugan. She turned an even darker form of red and froze as though she had become ice. She had just accidentally peered right through his clothes, to see an extremely mature Naruto.

"Na... ru..." mumbled Hinata as her eyes went wide.

Kakashi and Sakura turned to see Hinata after Naruto called her name. They were about to say hello as well. But before they could, blood suddenly shot from Hinata's nose and she fell over onto the ground... unconscious.

Naruto saw what had happened, and quickly ran across the street to her side. Sakura and Kakashi immediately followed.

Kakashi noticed that Hinata's Byakugan was still activated while she was unconscious.

_'Her Byakugan... Is that what had Naruto so jumpy_?' thought Kakashi.

After Naruto examined her, only finding the nosebleed, he turned and looked up to Sakura and Kakashi.

"What could have caused this?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi and Sakura looked at each other, knowing that the other had a pretty good idea of what had happened with Hinata.

Knowing for a fact how Hinata felt about Naruto, Kakashi spoke up first.

"It was probably just a side-effect of using the Byakugan for too long." said Kakashi, lying through a smile behind his mask.

"Oh…" said Naruto, oblivious to the obvious signs.

Naruto set Hinata's head face-up on his lap and started to wipe the blood from her nose.

Naruto looked down at her and noticed that she had a really calm and peaceful face. He enjoyed looking at it, and then he realized that it also made her look adorably cute.

He kept looking at her face, noticing the warmth of her body on his and continued to look at her, until he realized a feeling that seemed to tug at him in a foreign way. He began thinking to himself, trying to figure out what was going on. But every time he tried to think, the feeling came back, and his mind wandered away from him.

_'Wow… She sure is cute… and pretty, and... beautiful...' _thought Naruto absent-mindedly. He never realized that she really looked like this. Every time he would see her, he would look upon her as a friend, and wouldn't think of being… attracted to her…

_'Attracted to her? To Hinata?!' _thought Naruto jumping up a bit.

_'No... That's absurd, Hinata is my friend...' _thought Naruto.

As he was thinking, Hinata woke up to see Naruto looking down at her and her head was really close to his…..

"EEEK!" squeaked Hinata as she jumped away from him.

She then froze and turned completely red. She still had her Byakugan activated, and he was MUCH closer this time.

Blood gushed from her nose again, and she fell unconscious back into Naruto's lap.

Naruto looked down at her unconsciousness, and decided to continue his mental discussion later.

"Oookaaaaay..." said Naruto reaching down to get Hinata.

"What even just happened?" asked Sakura.

"I'm not entirely sure that you want to know." whispered Kakashi.

After wiping the blood from Hinata's face, Naruto picked up Hinata bridal style, and walked over to Kakashi.

"Well Anyways, you said that Baa-chan wanted to talk to me?" asked Naruto.

"Yes." said Kakashi.

Kakashi's demeanor noticeably saddened.

"About what?" asked Naruto curiously.

Kakashi paused for a moment before speaking.

"It's Sasuke." said Kakashi.

That earned a gasp from both of the Shinobi.

Sakura immediately put her hand up to her mouth in shock.

It had been a while since Naruto had lost his fight to Sasuke. A while since he failed to bring him back from Orochimaru's clutches. Sasuke was lost in his own mind with the power of the curse seal blocking his real personality. The only thing that kept him going was the hatred to kill his brother Itachi, who killed off the entire Uchiha clan, not including Sasuke and himself.

"Sa… Sasuke…" whispered Sakura.

Tears quickly started to well up in her eyes. Sakura had long ago fallen in love with Sasuke who in return kept rejecting her. But she kept steady and faithful hoping he would return her feelings… Until he left for Orochimaru.

"Without a doubt, we know where he is." said Kakashi.

"Sasuke…" whispered Naruto angrily.

"Grrrrr... Lets GO!" shouted Naruto.

He quickly flew from the ground to the rooftops, with Hinata in his arms, and with Kakashi and Sakura close behind.

* * *

A few minutes later at the Hokage tower, Tsunade had just finished her paperwork on "government utilities".

"Phew… All done! Any more paperwork coupled with the meeting coming up, and I'd probably get a splitting headache" said Tsunade to herself.

She reached down under her desk to get her job-well-done Sak'e.

As she disappeared under her desk, Naruto and the others flew in through an open window.

"Hey Baa-Chan!" said Naruto.

He adjusted Hinata in his arms, and looked around again.

"Baa-Chan?" asked Naruto.

Naruto looked around the room to find that it was empty, along with her desk being vacant.

"Grrrr… She asks for my IMMEDIATE audience but the drunk old hag can't even show up for it?!" exclaimed Naruto incredulously.

Suddenly Tsunade got back up with her bottle of Sak'e, along with a look that Naruto was familiar with.

Naruto saw Tsunade and realized that she had been there the entire time.

So he took a few steps back with a worried expression on his face.

Tsunade stomped around the desk and rolled up her sleeves, ready to teach him some manners.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER


	2. An S class mission?

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 2:**_

_**An "S" class Mission?!**_

Tsunade stomped around the desk and rolled up her sleeves, ready to beat the living crap out of him for calling her a _drunk old hag._ But she stopped when she saw the small teen in his arms. She stopped and blinked for a second, then smiled at Naruto while rolling her sleeves back down, and putting her hands on her hips.

"Now Tsunade! Be reasonable!" said Shizune.

Naruto was surprised she hadn't hit him yet, and he wasn't about to let his guard down.

"So… Naruto…" said Tsunade with a smirk on her face.

_'I can't hit him with a girl in his arms, but I can still torture him in other ways.'_ thought Tsunade with a smile.

Seeing her smile, Naruto took another step back, still expecting a beating.

"Who's your new girlfriend?" asked Tsunade.

"Oh, this is Hinata and we… HEY! She's not my girlfriend!" said Naruto while blushing a little.

"Oh really? Then why are you holding her like you two are married?" asked Tsunade.

"I'm not! She was, I was... I'm not!" stammered Naruto.

Tsunade chuckled at his flustering.

_'He really is too easy...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Okay then, why are you holding her?" asked Tsunade.

"Well, we were down by Ichiraku's... I said hi to Hinata, and she fainted. So I picked her up and brought her here when you summoned us." explained Naruto.

"She just fainted? For no reason? That seems odd." said Tsunade suspiciously.

_'Not really...'_ thought Shizune.

_'Yeah not really...' _thought Naruto.

"Actually you'd be surprised how common that is. Considering how things normally go with Hinata, this is quite normal." said Kakashi.

Tsunade's expression changed to surprised for only a moment.

_'Hm... Interesting... could he actually be the one that she..._' thought Tsunade.

_'She does faint an awful lot...' _thought Naruto.

Hinata's expression was painted with her blush. Something about the way she looked made Naruto feel good.

_'She's actually quite cute when she blushes...'_ thought Naruto.

Tsunade caught Naruto looking down at Hinata. His cheeks were flushing slightly from his thoughts.

"Well then Naruto, if that IS what happened, and you ARE just holding her... Then why are you blushing?" asked Tsunade.

Naruto's blush deepened in embarrassment.

"I'm... I'm not!" stammered Naruto.

Tsunade walked to the other side of the room over to a large red curtain that hung from the wall.

She reached behind the curtain, and pulled on a rope. The curtains were pulled out of the way, revealing a body-size mirror.

"Naruto, this is the Hokage's vanity mirror. It is important to look your best when there are Dignitaries involved, so this full-size mirror is important. Take a look." said Tsunade.

He looked past Tsunade to see his reflection.

The first thing he noticed was Hinata, and how frail she looked in his arms.

_'Hinata...'_ thought Naruto.

Then he noticed the expression on his own face. It was easy to notice the red tint among his whiskers.

'_Why am I blushing? Is it because I'm embarrassed? Why would I be embarrassed unless... d__o I... like her like that? It just seems so sudden... I've known her so well for so long...'_ thought Naruto.

He looked down at her blushing face, her cuteness more evident to him than ever.

The way her hair was smooth and shiny. The way her bangs hung perfectly in front of her face. The innocence in her face and demeanor.

Naruto felt his blush getting worse.

_'Why haven't I thought of her like this before... She's always been this way...' _thought Naruto.

It was then that Naruto remembered all of the times they had spent together. Short flashes of times they had spent together, and how much they trusted each other.

_'No! No! She's my friend! Hinata trusts me!'_ thought Naruto while hitting himself on the head over and over.

Tsunade saw his blushing and smiled even harder. She didn't know why he kept hitting himself in the head, but it was funny to watch.

_'Hinata! Friend! Hinata! Friend!'_ thought Naruto as he hit himself.

Everyone watched in amusement as Naruto beat himself.

"It's like pay-per-View wrestling... only this is real." said Kakashi.

While Naruto was hitting himself, his slight movements shook Hinata from unconsciousness.

She heard talking while she regained her vision, but it was only slurred mumbles to her ears. She began focusing on the room, trying to recognize her surroundings. But her vision was murky at best.

She could feel that she was being held... but by whom?

Before she could register much else, the voices were starting to become understandable.

"Well, if she ISN'T your girlfriend, and you AREN'T blushing... Then why is it painfully obvious that you want her with a passion?" asked Tsunade with a smug smirk.

"Wha…What?!" exclaimed Naruto.

_'What?!' _thought Naruto.

"Hin… Hinata is my friend!" assured Naruto.

_'N-Naruto?!'_ thought Hinata.

"Yeah? Well so is a hooker until she gives you a good time." said Tsunade with a smile.

Hinata blushed deeply.

_'Now I've got him...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Sh-Shut up you old hag!" shouted Naruto defensively.

Tsunade scowled and a tic appeared on her forehead.

"Gah! Wait! Don't hurt me! I…" stammered Naruto.

Naruto wildly looked around for something to defend him, but couldn't think of anything.

**_"You have beautiful girl in your hands."_** suggested Kyuubi.

"I have a beautiful girl in my hands!" exclaimed Naruto.

"(gasp)"

_'He… he thinks that I'm... beautiful?!'_ thought Hinata with a shock.

The combination of Naruto giving her such an extravagant compliment, and his hand under her butt, made her world go fuzzy.

She fainted from the excitement.

Everyone turned to see where the gasp came from and saw Hinata drooping down into unconsciousness again, but Naruto hadn't noticed. He was too conflicted with himself to pay attention to anything else but his thoughts.

"Ha! You admit it! You think she's hot stuff!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Tsunade's demeanor had returned to smug as she put her hands back on her hips.

_'Look what you went and did now! You're practically helping Tsunade!'_ complained Naruto.

**_"I merely made a suggestion. You were the one who blurted it out."_** said Kyuubi.

"Grrrr... Look here Baa-chan, she's one of my best friend's and nothing more... Besides, she is the heir of the Hyuuga clan, so she is like a princess to this village. So she wouldn't be interested in an average guy like me anyways!" defended Naruto.

Kakashi sighed knowing how wrong he was, but decided to let things run their course.

Tsunade was surprised at his reaction, and couldn't think of much else to say.

Tsunade's fun was over, she could see that she had upset him in several ways. The look in his eyes took all of the fun out of teasing him.

_'Ooh... Maybe I took it a bit too far...'_ thought Tsunade worriedly.

"Hmmm..." said Naruto to himself as he closed his eyes to think.

_'Do... do I like her? Like that? This feeling, I... I can't explain it.'_ thought Naruto.

_'Is it... good?'_ thought Naruto

Not knowing what a feeling was frustrated him. But this was new to him, it couldn't be helped.

_'Well, I have been after Sakura, and Kakashi-Sensei said that I should only chase after a girl that I love... So that must be what love feels like if I chase Sakura. And if so... I must not feel that way about Hinata, because I don't feel the same way about her as I do about Sakura, so I should just ignore this feeling... I guess.'_ thought Naruto half confidently.

**_"I know nothing about this... emotion you are going through. But even so... I still feel as though I should be calling you an idiot."_** said Kyuubi.

Kakashi had seen this go on long enough and decided to speak up.

"Tsunade if you don't mind hurrying up, I have preparations to… uh… prepare for."

Tsunade gave him a look of confusion followed by a look of realization and then finally, sorrow.

"Oh Yeah, I almost forgot about... him." said Tsunade gravely.

Everyone except the newly unconscious Hinata looked down at the floor sadly knowing she was talking about Sasuke.

"I have a mission for you… An "S" class mission." said Tsunade dramatically.

Everyone but Kakashi looked surprised when she said "S" class, knowing it is the most dangerous, and most important class of missions in existence. She ignored everyone's gasps and continued.

"You are to go back to the Land of Rice Patties and retrieve Sasuke Uchiha… preferably alive." said Tsunade.

She paused to let this new information sink in.

_'The Land of Rice Patties is where we'll find Sasuke!'_ thought Sakura.

_'Sasuke...'_ thought Naruto with a frown.

_'Tsunade is talking about something, but I'm too bored to pay attention... Did I turn off the washing machine?'_ thought Shizune.

"It is a two week trip if you want to avoid all of the posts and sentries." said Tsunade.

As she said this, she pulled down a map to the Land of Rice Patties, which showed a spiral line circling several times around the map, and ending near the middle at a building marked _Village of the Sound._

"And this is the only way to get through without being detected." finished Tsunade as she turned to face everyone.

Everyone stared at this with with disbelief until Naruto broke the silence.

"WHAT!? That is totally unnecessary!"

"(Sigh) No it isn't Naruto. The posts are perfectly put in so that it will take more than a week to get in from any direction." said Tsunade, taking a big swig of Sa'ke.

"Alright. I suppose there are no other options." said Shino, nodding to Kiba and Akamaru as they both nodded in agreement.

"Wha-What!? When did you guys get here?" asked Naruto with a surprised look.

"Just in time to hear something about you wanting Hinata in your pants, you perv." said Shino.

Everyone stopped in shock as it was the usually silent Shino who said it.

"What? I was just kidding Naruto..." (Nudge Nudge) (Wink Wink)

Naruto just stood there in surprise along with everyone else.

"Sh-Shut up... Shino..." stammered Naruto.

He was completely caught off guard by Shino actually talking like that.

"I don't know Naruto, from what I heard it sounds like you want Hinata... And if you do anything to hurt her I will rip out your large intestine and choke you with it!" threatened Kiba with with a snarl.

"Hey! I would never hurt Hinata! She... she's..."

Naruto stopped to look down at Hinata, only to be enamored with her for a moment.

Naruto tried to shake himself out of it, but now Hinata seemed different, in a way he didn't understand. He had seen her just last week, and he hadn't reacted in such a way. But now that he had thought of her in this way, his heart was starting to beat a bit faster, just by looking at her. There was nothing different about her appearance, or her demeanor... but now...

Everyone saw the way he was looking at her and they all said in unison:

"Aaaaaawwwwwww!"

Naruto quickly snapped out of it.

"Shut up!" said Naruto in defense.

"What, so you don't like her?" asked Kakashi curiously.

"Wha... well... Not as... um..." said Naruto as he looked back down to Hinata.

"I don't know... I don't think so... So leave me alone about it alright!" shouted Naruto.

Everyone figured that they shouldn't meddle anymore, because they would just make it worse.

The silence made it awkward as Naruto cooled back down.

"..."

"Soooo... why is Team 8 here?" asked Sakura, breaking the silence.

"Team 8 is here for they are the best tracking team Konoha has to offer." said Tsunade.

"Really?" asked Sakura.

"I'm surprised that a chunnin team is the best." said Naruto.

"Sure... Kiba for his enhanced sense of smell and hearing, Shino for his bugs that can communicate throughout wide areas of terrain, and Hinata for her Byakugan that can see 360 degrees through objects in a wide area."

"Oh, that's pretty cool!" exclaimed Naruto in excitement.

"And I suppose that Team 7 is along because of their past experience with the Uchiha." guessed Kiba.

"That is correct." said Tsunade crossing her arms.

"So... How does that work with Team 7 being short a member?" asked Shino.

"Short a member?" asked Naruto.

"Yes. Sai is already on the current duty roster. He can't be here right now." said Tsunade.

Naruto and Sakura sulked a bit, before Tsunade continued.

"Well, normally I wouldn't allow it, but given the circumstances, I am willing to bend the rules a bit." said Tsunade calmly.

"You all have 24 hours to get back here with all of the supplies neccessary for a week trip, and you should pack assuming that you will be fighting people the entire way." warned Tsunade.

The mood got serious after she said that, and everyone tensed up significantly.

"I don't have to tell you how important this mission is. You all know the international and dangerous risks we will be taking here. You were all here for the first Sasuke retrieval squad. I don't have to tell you twice." said Tsunade.

She looked proudly among the Shinobi that stood before her.

_'Such dedication... For such a personal cause.'_ thought Tsunade.

"You are dismissed." said Tsunade.

Everyone quickly jumped out of the windows behind her.

"..."

"(Sigh) Why doesn't anyone just use the door anymore?" asked Tsunade to no one in particular.

She looked around the room to be sure it was empty, before taking a huge chug from her bottle.

* * *

On the streets, Naruto was heading home, with plenty on his mind.

Hinata was still in his arms. He realized that he still had to get her to her own home.

_'I really need to wake her up and brief her on the mission...'_ thought Naruto.

This feeling that was churning within him was making him uneasy and nervous. It almost made simply walking twice as hard as normal.

_'Why is this happening? Why do I feel this way?'_ thought Naruto.

He felt nervous, he was slightly shaky, and he could tell he was sweating more than usual. All of this just because Hinata was near him.

_'She's my friend! Sure she's sweet and kind and gentle... But she's my friend! And... and yet I have butterflies in my stomach, and other feelings that come with it that I just don't understand...' thought Naruto._

_The more he thought about it, the more he seemed to stray further away from anything that could make sense._

_Eventually he just gave up, and switched to a topic that was much more stressful._

_"Sasuke..." muttered Naruto quietly._

_When he thought of him, it brought back memories of the Sasuke retrieval squad, and how much they got hurt just trying to bring back his friend. _

'_He was my friend, my teammate... my brother.'_ thought Naruto sadly.

_'What if we can't get him again? What if one of my Teammates dies and its all of my fault? ...Why am I asking myself all these questions? Why aren't I more confident... and WHY IS THERE A HAND DOWN MY PANTS!?'_

Naruto looked down to see that while he was running down the street, Hinata's hand that was closest to him, had slipped out of her lap and went down his pants.

He skidded to a stop with a heavy blush on his face.

Naruto liked wearing the loose free-breathing orange pants, but now he could see how they were inconvenient.

Hinata's sleeve was caught on the waistband on his pants, but her bare hand was touching the outside of his boxers.

He blushed and looked around to see if anyone had noticed, and he then inadvertently stuck his hand down his pants to take out Hinata's hand.

But he suddenly froze, because he felt like he was in danger. His instincts kicked in, and he honed in on the source of his unease. But when he turned around and saw who was standing there, he froze in shock.

Standing before him was none other than Hiashi Hyuuga. He was essentially a king in Konoha, Lord of the Hyuugas, and_ father_ of Hinata Hyuuga.

Hiashi was in complete shock. He had dropped the bag of groceries he had in his hands to gape at what was before him.

It actually took the normally stoic Hyuuga a few seconds to process what he was looking at.

"Naruto... has my eldest daughter's hand... DOWN HIS PANTS!?" exclaimed Hiashi in a complete rage.

Naruto looked down to see that he was still holding Hinata's hand down his pants.

But that was the least of his worries. His feeling of unease increased tenfold when he felt the rage now coming from Hinata's Father.

The ground shook with Hiashi's chakra. His face was red with rage.

"Wha-wait!! It's not what it looks like!!!" assured Naruto in desperation.

Naruto had immediately taken his hand out of his pants, and had taken a few steps back.

Suddenly and unexpectedly to Naruto, Hiashi calmed down and stood there calmly, looking at Naruto with a hateful glare.

"Fine! I'm a patient man when it comes down to it, so I will give you a chance to explain yourself." said Hiashi.

He closed his eyes, folded his arms, and had a frown on his face.

"But be warned, if the answer I receive from you is any less than satisfactory in an extremely angry father's eyes, then I will see to it that you get what you deserve!"

Hiashi now had both of his eyes glaring wide open at Naruto.

'Byakugan!' thought Hiashi.

The Byakugan is an extremely useful Doujutsu, it has the ability to use wide range scanning capabilities that can monitor a person's Tenketsu (chakra points), Blood stream, organs, and chakra flow.

_'If Naruto lies, his heart rate will speed up. If he tells the truth, then his heart rate will be normal.'_ thought Hiashi.

He pierced his Byakugan through Naruto's chest cavity, watching him more than intently.

Although Naruto did not appreciate the look he was getting from Hiashi, he knew he had better tell him what happened before he got hurt.

"Alright, Okay. See it uh... it happened like this..." began Naruto.

He kept his hold on Hinata, nervously readjusting her in his arms before explaining.

Naruto than began to tell Hiashi everything that had happened at the meeting (excluding the parts where they talked about him and Hinata.) , and then went into detail of how he had been running home and Hinata's hand slipped into his pants while he was running, so he had stopped to embarassingly pry it out.

Naruto stopped his explanation, and looked up at Hiashi, hoping that he had believed him.

_'Hmmmmm, He was lying at the part where he was talking to the Hokage, but he was probably just trying to keep the details of the mission secret, as it is one of the duties of a ninja'_ thought Hiashi.

_'The part about him running home was true also, and... that is acceptable enough to me.'_ thought Hiashi respectively.

He closed his eyes and deactivated his Byakugan.

"Okay, I believe you." said Hiashi.

"R-Really?!" asked Naruto.

It was almost as though he couldn't believe his ears.

"Yes, but I have a couple questions for you." said Hiashi, closing his eyes to think.

Now that Naruto didn't have to worry about Hiashi being angry, it was much easier to talk to him.

"Okay, shoot! I have nothing to hide." said Naruto with confidence.

_'Nothing you need to know about...'_ thought Naruto.

He may have been confident, but he still watched the Hyuuga leader suspiciously.

"Okay then, how did my daughter become unconscious in the first place?" asked Hiashi.

It wasn't an accusing tone, but Naruto could sense that he clearly was not in a good mood.

So Naruto closed his eyes to recall the event.

"Well... Me, Sakura, and Kakashi were down at Ichiraku's. I felt an activation of chakra from somewhere. So I looked around to pinpoint the source. I found that it was Hinata's Byakugan that had caused my worry. I was happy to see her, so I turned and said hi." began Naruto.

Hiashi had an amazed look on his face that quickly disappeared, but was soon replaced by one that appeared to be deep in thought.

_'He can sense a chakra level THAT small?! That is a trait that is Kage worthy! The Byakugan barely uses any chakra at all!'_ thought Hiashi incredulously as he studied the possibly perverted boy before him.

"Okay, stop there." said Hiashi,

He held a hand up to gesture him to be quiet.

"I again have a few questions if you don't mind."

Hiashi now had his eyes open looking upon the Jinchuuriki.

"And I again say, shoot." said Naruto, making himself appear that he enjoyed talking to this man... although he didn't.

"First of all, why were you happy to see my daughter?" asked Hiashi curiously, as though it were an odd thing.

Naruto gave him a quizzical look and than replied as though it was obvious.

"Cause! She's like, one of my best friends!"

Hiashi appeared to be in shock, and without meaning to he said aloud:

"My daughter has friends?"

"YEAH! Of course she has friends! How could she not!?"

"She's smart, kind, gentle, beautiful... Good in bed..."

"Wha...WHAT!!" exclaimed Hiashi in a rage again, but this time with his mouth agape.

"HA! I was just kidding!" said Naruto with his trade mark grin.

"Well, about the good in bed part anyways..." said Naruto with a blush.

He had to wonder to himself how that had randomly come out of his mouth, even if it was as a joke.

With Hinata in his arms, it was a bit awkward for him to have said that, even though she was still unconscious.

"Hinata is one of my best friends, nothing more, nothing less." said Naruto looking down at Hinata with a smile.

Hiashi was mostly on his knees, and was grabbing onto his chest with his left hand.

"Oh...uhck...phf... pl...please do not kid me like that... EVER AGAIN!!" shouted Hiashi, while looking like he had almost had a heart attack.

Naruto noticed Hiashi's condition, and realized that he really must have worried him.

"Oh! Sorry about that, I joke because it's the way I am!" said Naruto with his hands up in defense.

Naruto's words didn't seem to change Hiashi's expression much, so he continued.

"I didn't mean to give you a scare like that, I just thought you would know your daughter well enough to know that I was kidding!" said Naruto apolegetically and with some respect.

Hiashi took a moment to relax himself, and regain his composure.

Hiashi realized Naruto had shown him some manners, and smiled, seeing that he had just shown him some respect.

"I understand, Jus... Ahem... Just don't do it again" said Hiashi firmly.

"Rodger." said Naruto with a small salute.

"Who?" asked Hiashi.

"It's a... nevermind." said Naruto.

Hiashi sighed in exasperation and continued.

"My other question is, what were you doing at the ramen shop?" asked Hiashi with no shown emotion.

"I was just eating some ramen with Sakura." said Naruto.

"Okay then, please continue" said Hiashi as though he didn't care.

"Well, as I said before, I sensed the chakra from Hinata's Byakugan, and said hi." he paused to let Hiashi remember, although he clearly had not forgotten any of the conversation since the near heart-attack.

"..."

"(Nervous cough) But when she turned around, her face become completely red and blood shot out of her nose as she fell over unconscious." said Naruto, waiting for Hiashi to signal him to continue.

Hiashi then had a sweat drop on the back of his head as he knew what had actually happened.

'_Hmmm, my little Hinata is becoming a young woman.' _thought Hiashi, who was seemingly lost in his own little world of memories.

_'I will have to give her THE TALK, along with teaching her to use her Byakugan... respectively.'_ thought Hiashi as he opened his eyes again to look at Naruto.

"You know, you really should teach Hinata not to over-use her Byakugan, otherwise she might get seriously hurt." said Naruto giving him a concerned look.

"What do you mean?" asked Hiashi.

_'Did he figure it out himself?'_ thought Hiashi in horror.

"Well, after that happened, Kakashi Sensei told me that the cause for the nosebleed, was because Hinata over-used her Byakugan" said Naruto giving Hiashi a confused look.

"Uh... Oh! Yes of course, I'm sure that was the cause." said Hiashi assuringly.

_'Phew... I owe you one Kakashi...'_ thought Hiashi as he relaxed a little more.

"Well if that's why she got the nosebleed, then why did she faint?" asked Naruto

"It was probably because of the blood-loss" said Hiashi, because it was what he truly thought.

"Oh... I guess that makes since, it did happen twice in a row" said Naruto.

"It happened twice?!" asked Hiashi incredulously.

"Yeah, after the first time I put her head on my lap to clean off the blood and check her for injuries..." said Naruto.

_'Oh God, I can see where this is going...'_ thought Hiashi blushing a little at his thoughts.

"And then she suddenly got up, looked at me, turned red and shot blood out of her nose again... Hmmm... It was probably because she still had her Byakugan activated right?"

_'Wow... I never thought I would have to talk to my daughter about her being a pervert...'_ thought Hiashi as he rubbed his temples.

"Yes, it was probably the same thing that happened last time" said Hiashi half-truthfully while still rubbing his temples.

As they continued to talk, Naruto did not notice a small stirring in his arms.

With a batting of her eyes, and a silent yawn, Hinata finally awoke alarmingly, to realize that her right hand felt like it was tied at the wrist.

Assuming she had been captured in some way, she activated her Byakugan, and jumped from her captor's arms, ready to defend herself.

When she tried to go into a defensive stance, she realized that her hand wouldn't move into the proper place, and she looked down and saw that her hand was down some guys... pants...

Her eyes widened and she immediately froze. She would recognized those pants anywhere.

She then looked up to see a very surprised and blushing Naruto.

Hinata then turned the darkest shade of red possible.

"Na... Na... Na... Na.. .ru... to..." stammered Hinata in shock.

Hiashi and Naruto then heard a Bleahck!! As blood came gushing out of her nose like never before.

She quickly took her hand out of his pants to put both of them over her nose as she barely stayed concious staring at the ground.

_'I'm not here... I'm not here... that didn't just happen... with... Naruto...'_ thought Hinata weakly.

She couldn't help it. She looked up again to see Naruto's still suprised face, immediately reminding her of what she had just done.

(Bleeeahhcck!!)

Even more blood flew out of her nose as she spun around, and lost conciousness while falling towards the ground.

"Ah!" gasped Naruto as she jumped to catch her.

Hiashi beat him to her and quickly grabbed her underneath her arms.

"I will take it from here, thank you for trying to help my daughter." said Hiashi in a rush.

He left in quite a hurry so that no one would see her in this state, but it was still kind of rude.

"Weird..." said Naruto.

Now that Hinata was being taken care of, the only thing he had to worry about was to go home and pack.

**_"Hm hm hm hm hahahaahahahahahaaaaaaa!!" Four times! four times now!!_** gasped Kyuubi in between laughing fits.

_'What's so funny?!'_ asked Naruto accusingly.

**_"Noth... Nothing.. .hmhmhm... heh heh..."_**

**_"Man she's so hot for you..."_** mumbled Kyuubi humurously.

_'What?! Who?'_ asked Naruto as he searched as though expecting to see some girl looking at him.

**_"Oh nothing... Nobody... Nobody at all..."_** assured Kyuubi with a smile.

_'Whatever'_ said Naruto.

He ignored the fox's laughter and started to make his way to his home.

His mood immediately dropped, he was quickly reminded of the mission ahead.

_'Sasuke... What will happen now?'_ thought Naruto.

END OF CHAPTER


	3. Distracting Preparations

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 3:**_

_**Distracting Preparations:**_

_**

* * *

**_

"See ya!" yelled Naruto.

He was yelling after Hiashi and an unconscious Hinata, but they were going too fast and were already out of hearing range. But on top of the Konoha Library, someone _was_ in hearing range. They only came in time to hear Naruto say goodbye to an unconcious Hinata. Kiba and Akamaru sat on the building's edge, waiting for Naruto to make a move.

"Yap!" said Akamaru to Kiba.

Akamaru sounded worried as was looking in the direction Hinata went.

"Look she'll be fine, I know her well enough to know that." said Kiba matter-of-factly.

Akamaru still looked worried.

"But I also know her well enough to know, that she would have been conscious by now. Something must have happened. Something having to do with Naruto." said Kiba.

Akamaru whined.

"Yeah, we should probably follow Naruto to see if we can get him to talk."

"Knowing him, he probably knocked her out, like the idiot he is." said Kiba while clenching his fists.

"Bark!"

"What do you mean he's already gone!" asked Kiba incredulously.

He turned to look and sure enough, Naruto had already left.

Kiba and Akamaru jumped down to where Naruto was, and searched the ground.

There wasn't anymore tracks past where he was standing just moments ago.

And from what he could tell, there wasn't a scent trail to follow either.

"Wow that's incredible! Naruto must have some serious speed, his apartment is on the other side of town!"

Akamaru nodded and growled lightly.

"Well we know where he is going so... let's go get em!" said Kiba.

"Roof." agreed Akamaru.

* * *

Back at Naruto's apartment, Naruto appeared with a flash of light at his doorway.

_'I got to learn how to do that with other people, if I knew how to do that, Hinata would already have been home, and I would never have had that incident'_ thought Naruto with a blush.

He shook the thoughts out of his head, and headed into his room to start packing.

He walked in, everything just as he left it. His bed in the right corner was made. The kitchen through the doorway on the left was clean. The tiny room through the doorway to the right still had a hamper filled with clean clothes he had yet to sort and put away.

It wasn't a nuisance to see the clean clothes not put away. He felt lucky he had a washing machine at all.

He walked into the room at the right to grimace at his washing machine. It was old and rusted nearly everywhere on the outside.

_'At least the inside is stainless steel...'_ thought Naruto.

He gathered his clothes that he would need from the hamper, and brought them into the main room to set them down on the bed.

He began sorting his shirts, jackets, pants, boxers, and miscellaneous weaponry into neat little piles on his bed.

_'This is going to take a while...'_ thought Naruto.

* * *

Meanwhile Kiba was still heading to Naruto's apartment.

"Ok Akamaru, we're almost there." said Kiba.

He was nearly to Naruto's apartment, it was less than a block away

He was was walking at a normal pace as not to arouse suspicion, Akamaru was right at his side.

"Kiba? What are you doing here?" said a voice from behind him.

Kiba turned around to find who was talking, and saw his sensei, Kurenai Yuuhi.

She had her hands on her hips with a questioning look on her face.

"Oh hey Sensei! I was uh... just... uh..." He stopped for a moment to look confused.

"Uh... heh... I forgot..." said Kiba sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

Kurenai sighed, knowing that her student didn't exactly have the greatest memory.

"Well, it must not have been of much importantance if you don't remember it." said Kurenai with a sigh.

"Hmmm... well I'm gonna sit and ponder about it for a while." said Kiba as he plopped down on the ground next to Akamaru.

Akamaru mimicked him, and sat down as well.

"So, what are you doing here sensei?" asked Kiba.

"Oh. I just got a message from Tsunade. She called to tell me that Hinata was unconscious, and that I should seek out Naruto Uzumaki to find her." said Kurenai.

_'Figures Tsuande would tell Kurenai.'_ thought Kiba.

"Have you heard anything about this?" asked Kurenai.

"Yeah. You got nothing to worry about. Hiashi picked her up already. She's probably already at home." said Kiba.

A look of relief swept over Kurenai's face, although she didn't show it for long.

"Oh good. Although surprising. Hiashi has never really taken any interest in Hinata before..." said Kurenai.

"I hate that guy. My mom says I should respect him, but it's hard to do when you know how badly he treats Hinata." said Kiba sadly.

Kurenai let a sad look sweep over her face for only a moment.

"There's nothing we can really do about it. We've been over this so many times before." said Kurenai.

"I know it's just... He acts like she doesn't even exist. The only time he recognizes her existence, is if he needs her to do something for him, or if it has something to do with the clan." said Kiba.

"(Sigh) I know. But the best thing we can do for her, is to simply show her that we care for her." said Kurenai.

"Heh. Right, just as we always have." agreed Kiba.

Kurenai nodded, and turned away from him.

"Well, I have to get going. I have something I need to do." said Kurenai.

"Oh all right. See ya later! " said Kiba as he waved to a leaving Kurenai.

He waited until Kurenai was out of sight before turning to Akamaru.

"Phew! That was close Akamaru! She almost found out what we were doing!" said Kiba as he got up from the ground.

Akamaru also got up.

"Roof."

"Right. Let's see what that jerk did to Hinata." said Kiba.

He turned back towards the apartment complex, and he ran into the entrance.

* * *

In Naruto's room, he was just finishing getting his stuff together.

"Okay I got Kunai, explosive tags, smoke bombs... Uh... extra clothes... Ramen, food kit, rationary water..." said Naruto.

"Condoms for Hinata"

"Condoms for Hin..." began Naruto.

He easily recognized the voice that came from behind him.

"That's not funny Baa-chan." said Naruto.

He suddenly heard laughing and turned over towards the window to see Tsunade with her hand over her mouth.

"I told you to shut up about that." said Naruto.

"Ha! You are too easy." teased Tsunade.

* * *

Outside Naruto's room, Kiba was walking down the hall towards Naruto's room.

When Kiba first entered the building, he noticed that there was only one hallway, and with only ten doors. It was a very small complex, and from the looks of it, the building was pretty old as well.

He looked down to Akamaru, who barely fit in the corridor with him.

"Hmph, alright Akamaru. It's time we do some hard-core interrogating to see what that jerk did to Hinata!" said Kiba.

"Rrrr..." growled Akamaru in agreement.

Kiba walked up to the last door on the right. The door itself had the number 9 on it. Room ten was adjacent to it, but Kiba didn't know who lived there.

In fact. the only reason he knew Naruto lived here, was because Hinata had brought him here almost three years ago.

(Flashback)

It was a hot day. Staggeringly hot. But they were ninja, they had to train under any conditions.

Hinata and Kiba were sparring back and forth.

Kiba's fighting style was up front and personal, using brute force and speed to injure his opponents.

But Hinata was different. Her fighting style was almost purely defensive. She alway waited for an opponent to move, or for a close opening to present itself.

Kiba always found it frustrating to fight Hinata. She always seemed to counter his attacks, no matter how much power and tactical complexity he put into it.

Hinata was always able to block his attacks.

But she found it difficult as well. Although her chakra control was far superior to Kiba's, and she was able to block every move he made, it always wore her down too quickly.

The advantage Kiba had was that his body contained a far higher concentration of chakra than her. She would always run out of chakra before he did. So in order to compensate for her lack of chakra, Hinata increased the control over her chakra, so she would get more out of her chakra than Kiba would.

In theory, if Kiba had ten times more chakra than her, she would be at a huge disadvantage. But, if she in turn had ten times the control that he did, she would be at an even level with him.

She knew that she completely had him beat at chakra control, but she still couldn't get in attacks. Kiba would simply use more chakra in each attack than her. Each time Kiba attacked, the chakra would push her back, and before she could get closer, he would attack again. All she could do was dodge and evade his attacks, and wait for an opening.

She had already struck him in his right arm, left leg, and in his abdomen.

He was close to being paralyzed, just one more hit would do it.

The fighting had been going on for almost three hours, Shino and Kurenai watching intently.

Kiba and Hinata stood in their fighting stances, panting heavily as they stared at each other.

_'I'm so low on chakra... But so is he. And he uses more chakra per attack than I do. As long As he uses his chakra and attacks, I will be fine if I evade.'_ thought Hinata.

But Kiba had wizened up to her little game. He had finally realized that the fight was coming down to whoever had the most chakra. The more attacks he wasted on missing her, the less chance he had of winning against her.

_'Damn it! We've been at this for hours! I haven't been able to land a single attack, and she is barely out of breathe! She puts nearly no effort into evading my attacks, while all put all of my effort into simply trying to hit her! The only way to win against her, is to get close enough for a guaranteed hit. Gatsuuga has a spin radius of 6 feet. If I can get within that range I will have a perfect hit. But if I get too close, I will simply be playing into her hands. She wants me to get in close to her, so she can end this. Alright, it looks like this will be all or nothing.'_ thought Kiba.

Kiba charged his remaining chakra, and focused on Hinata.

_'Here it comes.'_ thought Hinata.

_'Here I go!'_ thought Kiba.

Kiba dashed in, almost immediately getting within the 6 foot range.

"Gatsuuga!" shouted Kiba.

Kiba turned into a spinning chakra drill, and prepared to make contact.

But the contact never came.

He went a few feet past where Hinata was standing, and stopped his technique.

He spun around in mid-air to see that Hinata was nowhere to be found.

Kiba blinked in surprise, but when he went to land, he got an even bigger surprise.

When he tried to plant his foot on the ground, his leg gave out, and he tumbled across the floor.

His body was stopped by a gentle nudge, followed by several pokes.

He looked up to see that Hinata's legs had stopped him, and that she was smiling down at him.

"I win Kiba-kun." said Hinata.

Kiba growled and immediately went to attack her, but when he tried to move his body only his head could move.

"Alright! That's enough!" shouted Kurenai.

"I disabled your leg during your attack. And I disabled the rest of your body when I stopped you." said Hinata.

Kiba sighed and let his body relax.

"Damn." said Kiba.

Both of them were short of breathe, Kurenai could tell they were both exhausted.

"Alright you two, no need to overdo it. You both got in a lot of training today." said Kurenai.

"Yes, it was a shame I could not participate. My colony is in a very delicate state, and I cannot afford to fight until they complete their metamorphosis." said Shino.

"It was better that you didn't fight Shino. You would have only hurt yourself in your current state." said Hinata nicely.

"Yeah. Yeah. Now, could someone help me move again?" hinted Kiba.

"Oh! Of course Kiba-kun." said Hinata.

Hinata knelt down and tapped him in several seemingly random places on his torso.

"There. All better." said Hinata with a smile.

Kiba groaned in pain as he hefted himself off of the ground.

"Gah! Aw man! I always feel like I'm made of cement after we spare..." muttered Kiba.

"Alright you three. I have some things to take care of today, so I have to get going. Sorry." said Kurenai.

"We understand." said Shino.

She nodded, and faded away in a blur of pink petals.

They weren't surprised, Kurenai often had much to do, and she had always used her signature exit.

"Well. I say that we all go and get something cool to drink." said Kiba.

"Indeed." said Shino.

"Agreed." said Hinata happily.

Several hours later, Hinata, Shino, and Kiba were all up on top of the Hokage monument, looking down on the village while enjoying their drinks.

"Hey Kiba. Where did you say Akamaru was again?" asked Hinata.

"He's at home, resting after that last mission. He got hurt kind of bad. But he'll be perfectly alright." said Kiba.

"Missing partners seems to be a recurring theme." said Shino while sulking.

"(Sigh) Are you still sulking about that? We told you that it's fine. It's no big deal at all." said Hinata.

"Alright. If you say so." said Shino before taking a drink.

Hinata looked over to Shino.

"What flavor did you get?" asked Hinata curiously.

"Strawberry." said a voice from behind them.

They turned and all jumped in surprise when they saw who was standing there.

"H-Hokage-sama?" exclaimed Hinata.

"Hokage-sama." greeted Shino formally.

"Sandaime-sama." greeted Kiba.

Hiruzen Sarutobi was standing there with his own drink, sipping on it slowly.

"So. Have you three been training hard?" asked Hiruzen.

"Yeah! We're nearly exhausted!" said Kiba.

"Really? I'm glad to hear it." said Hiruzen.

He then turned and looked at Shino.

"But it doesn't really look like you've been training today Shino." commented Hiruzen with a raised eyebrow.

Shino sulked in despair.

"Oh. That's just because his colony is in a delicate metamorphic state." assured Hinata.

"Ah. I see. Well I'm glad to see, that at least you three have the common sense, to make the most of things while you have them, and to know when to stop when you should." said Hiruzen.

The Sandaime showed a hint of sadness when he said this, and Hinata caught it immediately.

"What's wrong Hokage-sama? You seem troubled." said Hinata in concern.

"Hehe... Ah Hinata. So kind-hearted and pure..." said Hiruzen with a smile.

Hinata blushed lightly from the Hokage's complement.

"Alright. I'll tell you what's been bothering me. I'm worried about Naruto." said Hiruzen.

"(Gasp!) Oh no! Is something wrong? Is he hurt? Does he need help?" exclaimed Hinata quickly.

"Heheh... Easy now Lady Hinata. Naruto is not in any immediate danger or harm... But he will be soon if someone doesn't stop him." said Hiruzen.

Kiba, Hinata, and Shino all tensed in surprise.

"Quickly! Where is he? What is he trying to do? We can't let him hurt himself!" exclaimed Hinata.

Hinata was distressed, but the Sandaime only smiled in return.

"I'm glad you feel so strongly about caring for Naruto. If I didn't know any better, I would say you really like him." said Hiruzen with a smile.

Hinata blushed deeply, but she didn't look away. Naruto was in trouble. She prioritized that ahead of everything else.

"Quickly! Just tell us what to do!" exclaimed Hinata.

Before the Sandaime could respond, Shino spoke up.

"If he is in such great trouble, why do you not take care of him yourself? We all know how close you and Naruto are." said Shino.

"Ah. I've already tried and failed. I could not get through to him. I could not convince him to stop." said Hiruzen.

"If the Hokage couldn't do it, then why are you asking us to try?" asked Kiba.

"Because. You are his friends. I trust that you three would have a much better chance of stopping him." said Hiruzen.

"What is he doing that is so dangerous?" asked Shino.

"That I'm afraid, is Naruto's business. I promised him that I would not tell anyone what he is doing. And yet he is out there right now, doing precisely what he shouldn't be doing." said Hiruzen.

"Then where is he?" asked Hinata quickly.

Hiruzen studied them all for a moment before continuing.

"He is deep in the forest behind me. Finding him shouldn't be too hard, just follow the loud noises." said Hiruzen.

The Sandaime then disappeared in a whirl of leaves, leaving Team 8 in shock for a moment.

"Quickly! We have to go! We have to find Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

She didn't wait for them. She ran off into the forest beyond the Hokage monument. She had to try and find Naruto as quickly as possible.

Shino and Kiba were close behind, both of them were worried of how this would turn out.

* * *

The forest itself was immense, but the Sandaime was right. They could hear a loud crashing noise coming from the south.

They rushed towards the noise, making sure they were as quick as possible.

"Can you see him Hinata?" asked Shino.

Hinata had her Byakugan activated. She had been searching with it ever since she took off into the forest.

"No. I haven't found him, but we are getting close!" said Hinata in between breathes.

The closer they got to the noise, the more they noticed that the ground seemed to be shaking in correspondence with the loud crashing sound.

"What the hell is he doing?" exclaimed Kiba.

Finally Hinata caught sight of him, but she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Hinata's expression changed to shock.

"What is it Hinata? Have you found him?" asked Shino.

"Yes! But we have to hurry! He's about to be crushed!" shouted Hinata.

Hinata dashed off ahead of them, catching them by surprise.

They both sprinted ahead to catch up, but by the time they matched Hinata's speed, she had already stopped in a clearing.

They all stared in surprise at what they saw.

There was a boulder about the size of a small home, and underneath it, was Naruto.

It looked like he had already been crushed.

"No." whispered Hinata in horror.

Tears came to her eyes almost immediately.

But her whole being stood still when she heard his voice.

"Gah! Come... ON! One... last... TIME!" grunted Naruto in pain.

To their amazement, the boulder started to move.

Only by a few inches, but it moved.

Naruto cried out silently in pain as the strain tore at his body.

Slowly but surely, the boulder moved up.

Naruto's arms shook, his body screaming at him to stop.

The boulder continued rising until finally, Naruto's arms were holding the boulder up at arm's length.

"GAAAAAAAAAH!" screamed Naruto in pain.

The boulder then dropped to the side, making the ground shake with tremendous force once again.

They couldn't believe what they had just seen, Naruto had moved an enormous boulder. It was something that should have been impossible.

The boulder was now at Naruto's side, and he wasn't moving.

Hinata was the first to snap out of shock and sprint over to Naruto's side.

She quickly skidded to a stop and knelt down to check for injuries.

For a moment, it looked like he wasn't breathing.

"Naruto? Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

Suddenly Naruto inhaled a painful breathe, and began breathing very fast.

Naruto was breathing very heavily, and it didn't look like he could move any part of his body.

Hinata's Byakugan could see that his muscles were almost torn to pieces from overuse. It was unbelievable he took so much pain without going into shock.

"Hin... Hinata..." rasped Naruto.

Hinata's heart jumped in joy at the sound of his voice.

For second or two, she thought he was going to die.

"Hinata... Why are... you crying... I'm just... training." rasped Naruto in between heavy breathes.

Kiba and Shino had already finally broken out of shock, and appeared at Hinata's side.

"Training? This is training! You almost killed yourself!" exclaimed Kiba.

"No pain... no gain..." rasped Naruto.

"Naruto this is ridiculous. You shouldn't even be alive after that." said Shino.

"What're you... (gasp) talking about... I've done this... hundreds... of times." rasped Naruto.

They all stood still in shock.

"Are you insane? You've done his before?" exclaimed Kiba.

"Y-Yeah... I'll be fine... Just... take me home... Trust me..." rasped Naruto.

Naruto slowly closed his eyes, and his body went limp.

Hinata panicked again until she heard his soft breathing.

"He's asleep. I think he's going to be fine." said Shino.

Hinata breathed a huge sigh of relief before falling over backwards.

"Kami... Thought he was dead when he stopped breathing..." muttered Kiba.

"W-what a relief..." said Hinata.

"..."

Hinata sat back up from the ground to look at Naruto.

Naruto laid there on the ground, his body sprawled out awkwardly.

Hinata blushed.

"Based on what he was just doing to his body, he should be taken to a hospital." said Shino.

"Hinata will be the judge of that." said Kiba.

"Are you kidding? She doesn't need to look. Every time he put that boulder back down on himself, the forest shook. He should be dead." said Shino.

Hinata was suddenly back to being scared to death.

"Byakugan!" exclaimed Hinata.

She look at his body again.

His muscles were the same, but now she looked at his bones.

His ribs were fractured. But, there was something wrong.

There was a strange red chakra coming from his coils. It was enveloping the bones of his ribs.

"Well Hinata?" asked Kiba.

Hinata watched in astonishment as the fractures in his ribcage disappeared, like they were never there.

"He... He had fractured ribs... But they're healed now..." said Hinata in astonishment.

"What do you mean they're healed now? That's impossible!" said Kiba.

"Maybe you were just seeing things, maybe his bones were never fractured in the first place. Which by all means is astonishing. His bones must be made of steel." said Shino.

What Shino suggested did make the most sense. But Hinata wasn't so sure.

"Yeah... I... I must have been... seeing things." muttered Hinata.

She watched now as the chakra made it's way to every part of Naruto's body, evenly coating itself throughout his entirety.

"So, what's the call Hinata? Will he be alright?" asked Kiba.

Hinata could barely see it, but Naruto's entire body was very slowly healing itself, using this strange red chakra.

"Incredible..." whispered Hinata.

"What? Hinata?" asked Kiba in confusion.

Hinata snapped out of it to see Kiba and Shino staring at her expectantly.

"Hm? Oh. Y-yes. Miraculously, he will be fine, only his muscles are harmed, and it is nothing serious." said Hinata.

"That's good." sighed Kiba in relief.

"If not impossible." said Shino.

Hinata was lying. His injuries, even if they were just his muscles, were very severe. But at the rate he was healing, they wouldn't be any problem at all.

"Are you sure Hinata?" asked Shino.

Shino watched Hinata carefully.

"Y-yes. He should be just fine... I may seem impossible, but his body is fine." said Hinata assuringly.

Shino nodded.

"Alright, let's move him to his home like he requested." said Shino.

"Right." said Kiba.

Kiba hefted him onto his shoulder, and they started heading back towards the village.

* * *

They arrived back to where they were first talked to the Hokage. Their drinks were spilled on the ground from the rush they were in.

"I knew I could count on you." said a voice.

The Hokage appeared in front of them.

"After what he did, is he going to be alright?" asked Hinata worriedly.

Hiruzen smiled, seeing the small Hyuuga's worry once again.

"Amazingly yes. Naruto has been doing this kind of training for many months now. But every time, he turns out fine." said Hiruzen.

"So he _has_ been doing this before." said Shino.

"Yes. And I assume, Ms. Hyuuga, that you inspected his injuries, to find that all of his bones were in fine shape?" asked the Hokage.

"Y-yes! That's right! H-how did you know?" asked Hinata in surprise.

"Well... For Naruto's sake... Let's just say he has quite a powerful Kekkei Genkai." said Hiruzen.

"Naruto? A Kekkei Genkai?" exclaimed Kiba in disbelief.

The Hokage only smiled.

"Now. I can trust you to take him to his home. I'm sorry I can't tag along, I have much business to attend to." said Hiruzen.

He disappeared in a swirl of leaves, leaving them once again in shock.

"Naruto... Having a Kekkei Genkai this whole time..." muttered Kiba.

"Yes. It's quite a surprise. But we have to stay on task. We have to take him home." said Shino.

"I think a while ago, that he said he lived in the south apartments." said Kiba.

"Alright let's head in that direction." said Shino.

* * *

They walked down past the Hokage tower, past the Bars, past the Market place, and to the south.

While on the way, Kiba and Shino continued talking about Naruto.

"I'm just saying, it bothers me how nonchalant the Hokage was about all of this." said Kiba.

"Yes. That bothered me as well. Naruto is doing things to his body that should be considered suicide, and should therefore be considered illegal." said Shino.

"And yet the Hokage lets him do it." said Kiba.

"I think the Hokage just likes to let Naruto have a bit of freedom. Besides, I think it's amazing Naruto is able to do this kind of training at all." said Hinata.

"Hm. You have point..." muttered Kiba.

"But still. He shouldn't be allowed to do this. He should be supervised in his training." said Shino.

"I agree. But only because I don't want him to hurt himself anymore. I hate worrying about Naruto-kun." said Hinata.

"Why should you worry about him? It's not like he's your brother, or your boyfriend or anything." said Kiba.

Hinata blushed and said nothing.

"Kiba. It is always considerate for one to be worried about the people they care for, like friends and family." said Shino.

"Yeah yeah I know. I just wanted to get at the point that Hinata seems to pay particular attention to Naruto." said Kiba.

Hinata blushed even redder as the two continued talking.

They ended up finding the southern apartment complexes, but they were not happy about what was there.

"Aw Crud! There must be over a hundred different complexes! Which one is Naruto's?" exclaimed Kiba in frustration.

"Kiba is right. This will take a very long time, even if we asked around." said Shino.

"He lives in that one." said Hinata quietly.

"...What?" asked Kiba.

Hinata pointed to a very small apartment complex to their right.

Before Kiba could ask how she was so sure, Hinata walked past them and towards the complex she pointed out.

Kiba looked at Shino, and he shrugged.

They followed Hinata into a rather cramped hallway, and she walked to the very end.

She turned towards the second to last door with a "9" on it.

"This is Naruto-kun's apartment." said Hinata quietly.

Kiba and Shino looked at each other.

"Hinata... How do you know_ exactly_ where Naruto lives?" asked Kiba.

Hinata's face turned red in a deep blush.

"Oh-I-Uh-He-I... Naruto..." stammered Hinata in embarrassment.

Before they could question her further, Naruto's door abruptly opened.

They all looked at it in surprise, expecting someone to come out.

After a few seconds, Shino stepped forward.

Shino took a step in, and peeked into the apartment. He immediately noticed an open window above a small bed.

"It was just the wind." confirmed Shino.

Shino walked in and looked around, but he couldn't see anything other than what was in the light provided by the window.

Shino felt Kiba bump into him accidentally.

"Where is the light switch?" asked Kiba.

(click)

The light on the ceiling turned on, revealing the rest of the room.

There wasn't much. Basically, Naruto's bedroom, was also his living room.

There were two open doors. One led to what looked like a washroom to the right, and the other led to a small kitchen to the left.

In the kitchen stood Hinata.

"The light is in the kitchen, behind the blender, next to the microwave." said Hinata in a nonchalant fashion.

She didn't appear to be paying any attention, she seemed to be drinking in her surroundings. It was almost like she couldn't believe where she was.

"Hinata? How in the hell did you know where the lightswitch was?" asked Kiba incredulously.

Hinata blushed deeply, and turned away from them, stammering something they couldn't hear.

Before Kiba could say anything more, Shino tapped him twice on his shoulder.

"You should set Naruto down. You holding him up like that could be progressing his injuries." said Shino.

"Oh! Yeah." said Kiba.

Kiba walked over to the bed, and gently laid Naruto down on it.

"There. We've done what the Hokage asked of us. We can go now." said Kiba.

"D-don't you want to stay and look around? Y-you know... Learn more about Naruto?" asked Hinata quietly.

"Ha! She's right! Maybe I can dig something up about his Kekkei Genkai!" exclaimed Kiba excitedly.

Kiba jumped up from the bed and walked into the kitchen. He began searching the seems of the walls, looking for secret passages or compartments.

"I for one am curious about Naruto's clothing." said Shino.

Shino turned, and walked towards the washroom.

Kiba peeked in from the kitchen.

"Why would you want to know about his clothes?" asked Kiba with a raised eyebrow.

"Naruto wears that orange jumpsuit every day. I am wondering whether or not he has any other clothing." said Shino.

Kiba paused for a second to watch Shino disappeared into the washroom.

"Actually, I've always wondered about that." said Kiba.

Kiba walked out of the kitchen, and into the washroom, leaving Hinata alone with Naruto.

Hinata blushed and walked over to his bed, hesitating for a moment before sitting down next to him.

Hinata peeked around the corner to look in the washroom. She could hear Shino and Kiba talking back and forth.

Her hands were folding in her lap, fumbling around anxiously.

She checked one more time to be sure Kiba and Shino weren't looking.

She quickly bent over and stuffed her face into Naruto's jacket.

(SNORT)

She inhaled deeply, taking in his scent like it was the most precious thing in the world.

After she got her lungs full, she sat back up, her cheeks a most brilliant shade of red.

"Ahhhhhh..." breathed Hinata happily.

Just smelling Naruto's scent made her endorphins rush.

_'There's something wrong with what I'm doing... But it feels so good!'_ thought Hinata with a blush.

She looked at Naruto, who was laying down peacefully on the bed.

The light from his window shone down on him, making his hair seem to glow brightly.

Hinata blushed even deeper, she felt completely enamored.

"Hinata? You ready to go?" asked Shino.

Hinata jumped up from the bed in surprise and rushed to the door.

"Yeah sure lets go!" said Hinata awkwardly as she disappeared out of Naruto's apartment.

"..."

"What's up with her?" asked Kiba.

"As usual, I don't really know." said Shino.

(End Flashback)

Kiba had reminisced more than he had intended to. He had been standing in front of Naruto's apartment, staring into nothing for over ten minutes. Even Akamaru was looking at him in worry.

"Sorry buddy. I guess I was daydreaming for a little bit there." said Kiba.

"Roof!" said Akamaru.

"Right. Let's see what happened with Naruto and Hinata." said Kiba.

He went to knock on Naruto's door, but he stopped when he heard voices from the inside.

"Tsunade! I told you before! Me and Hin..."

"I know, I know, I was just joking" said Tsunade.

Kiba could hear every word crystal clear with his enhanced hearing and was shocked to hear the voice of the Hokage.

"The Hokage! What's she doing at Naruto's of all places?" exclaimed Kiba as he leaned in to listen more.

"So what do you want?" said Naruto impatiently.

Seeing that Tsunade was in his home, he was expecting some kind of assignment or tedious task to be assigned to him.

"What? can't I visit my favorite little ninja without him expecting some kind of assignment?" said Tsunade as she pinched his cheek.

Tsunade thought of Naruto as a little brother of sorts, and was always secretly worried of his safety.

As Kiba heard this he changed positions to see if he could look through the lock.

"Man this is getting juicy!" said Kiba.

Kiba couldn't see through the lock, and was impatiently shifting around.

"I didn't know that Naruto was aquanted this closely to the Hokage! Man! I wanna see what's happening!" said Kiba as he frustratingly tried to look under the door, but he couldn't see through such a small crack.

(Slurp)

Kiba looked beside him to see Akamaru with his head against the door, drinking out of a bottle of pop through a straw.

"Hey where'd you get that? Give me some." said Kiba.

Kiba picked up the pop and took a drink, listening intently through the door.

"Come on now. Can't you just assume every once in a while that a visit from me is simply casual?" asked Tsunade.

"No." said Naruto with his arms crossed.

"Now, what do you want from me?" asked Naruto impatiently.

"Nothing!" said Tsunade looking offended.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay." she said with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah sure..." said Naruto skeptically.

"No, really! I mean it! I wanted to make sure you weren't getting hurt by those hateful villagers, or threatened by people... or you know... GETTING AN HEIRESS'S HAND STUCK DOWN YOUR PANTS!" shouted Tsunade.

Tsunade had suddenly turned into an embodiment of rage.

"Phleugh...chka! dgh... (coughing fit) WHAT!" sputtered Kiba as pop dripped out his nose.

Kiba knew that the only clan that had an Heiress was the Hyuuga clan, so it had to be Hinata!

"Oh crap!" said Naruto as he backed up towards the door.

"Yeah, that's right oh crap!" said Tsunade as she stomped up to him.

"You sick pervert! How dare you take advantage of such a sweet girl like Hinata! I'm going to throttle you!" said Tsunade, getting even closer.

"I-I-Wait! I can... um... explain!" stuttered Naruto as he backed as close to the door as possible.

"Explain? Explain! You fucking had her hands DOWN YOUR PANTS!" shouted Tsunade as she reached a hysterical rage.

"But-But I... She... I was just running home... and..." began Naruto.

"And what! You accidently stuck her hand down your pants!" screamed Tsunade incredulously.

"I just had Hiashi Hyuuga come in with a personal request for a restaining order against you!" said Tsunade angrily.

"Wha-What!" exclaimed Naruto.

He may have nearly gave him a heart attack, but he didn't think Hiashi would go that far.

"As Hokage I'm leader to this village, and as I asked _politely_ WHY he wanted a restraining order..."

Tsunade had Naruto cornered now, there was nowhere to go.

"You want to know what he told me?"she said threateningly.

She slammed her hand against the wall, right beside his head, trapping him even more.

"YOU. WANNA. KNOW. WHAT. HE. TOLD. ME!" shouted Tsunade.

Kiba was now drinking his pop down so fast from the suspense that it was giving him brain freeze, but he didn't care. He had found out what Naruto had done, but he still wanted to know how much trouble he was going to get into.

"He had the nerve to tell me, the Hokage, your official parental guardian... That he wanted a restraining order on you, because he wasn't SURE that he could keep YOU from STICKING HINATA'S HANDS, DOWN YOUR PANTS!" shouted Tsunade angrily.

Naruto was for sure that a homicide was about to occur so he inched his hand inconspicuously to the right, and placed his hand on the door knob.

"That... That Naruto is so dead..." said Kiba as he clenched his fists.

"I'll make sure he gets what's coming to him, but first I gotta let Shino know so he can help beat the crud out of him." said Kiba angrily.

He almost couldn't believe something like this had happened to a girl as sweet as Hinata.

"Let's go Akamaru! Shino will be the first to know." said Kiba.

Akamaru barked in agreement.

They both turned and ran out of the complex. They had a mission now.

Back in Naruto's apartment, it wasn't much better.

Tsunade was in such a rage that she put her hands over her eyes and screamed at nothing to keep herself from killing him.

When she covered her eyes, Naruto took the advantage.

"Uh... BYE!" exclaimed Naruto as he whipped out the door at break-neck speed.

Tsunade immediately reacted.

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" shouted Tsunade.

She turned on her heel and ran after him, knocking over Kiba's pop, and breaking Naruto's door on the way out.

Naruto did everything he could to get away from her. He made simple genjutsus, clones to run off in different directions, and even threw random objects at her. But she always knew which Naruto was the real one, and busted through his tricks like nothing.

"Get the fuck back here so I can choke you to death!" shouted Tsunade.

She was slowly gaining ground on him. It was only a matter of time.

_'I could use that technique... But it's always too risky.'_ thought Naruto as he ran up the Hokage monument.

_'I need to find some place to hide!'_ thought Naruto as he reached the top.

As soon as he flew over the top, he saw someone whom he usually never saw when he needed him.

Jiraiya was looking over the village, using binoculars to, no doubt, spy on women.

_'Jiraiya!' _thought Naruto as he ran up to the Sannin.

"Jiraiya! Jiraiya! Help meeeeee!" screamed Naruto frantically has he ran up to him.

"What are you..." began Jiraiya.

He stopped talking when he noticed who was right on Naruto's tail.

Naruto came up to him and swiftly slid around him to hide behind the powerful frog hermit.

Jiraiya saw the look of fear on his face and could easily tell that whatever Naruto did, the Hokage was willing to almost kill him for it.

Jiraiya knew that strength-wise he was out-matched by Tsunade, but if the situation called for it, he could stop her.

"Tsunade. Stop." said Jiraiya.

He held out his hand to signal her to stop.

She slid to a stop and gave Jiraiya a murderous look.

"Out of the way Jiraiya! This kid's got what's coming to him!" warned Tsunade as she tried to get around him.

Jiraiya quickly reached out and flicked her on the forehead, sending her flying back a few feet.

She landed on her feet at was prepared to kill the Sannin for using her technique, but she looked up and saw the look on Jiraiya's face. It was that of a father protecting his son.

She stared upon the serious face and glared past it at Naruto who continued to hide behind the Toad Hermit.

"Settle down Tsunade." said Jiraiya with a uncharacteristicly serious face.

"YOU DONT KNOW WHAT HE DID!" screamed Tsunade while pointing an accusing finger at Naruto.

"Fine, tell me what he did, and if it is as bad as you say it is, I'll let you maul the kid as his punishment." said Jiraiya.

Naruto looked at his Sensei like he was on crack.

"Jiraiya! She could kill me!" said Naruto disbelievingly.

"It's only fair that you get punished for something you did wrong." said Jiraiya as he turned back to Tsunade.

"Well, (sigh) what did he do?" asked Jiraiya.

Tsunade then began to tell him what Hiashi had said to her, and that Naruto had not yet denied it.

"It's because you haven't given me the chance t..." began Naruto.

Jiraiya silenced Naruto with a hand to his face.

Jiraiya turned slowly to Naruto to look him in the eyes with a grim face.

Suddenly without warning, he jumped up into the air and clicked his heels with joy.

"Aaaaalriiiight Naruto! Wait to go! I knew I raised you right!" said Jariaya as he gave Naruto a huge bear hug.

Tsunade and Naruto both gave him looks of complete disbelief.

"Sensei! Are you really on crack, or what?"

"N-NO! I'm just proud of you! Finally makin a move on your first Laaadyyyyy! said Jiraiya with a thumbs up.

"..."

Tsunade didn't know what to think, but she knew that there was hell to pay for taking away the innocence of such a nice little teen.

Before she could interupt Jiraiya suddenly went completely serious.

"But..." began Jiraiya, putting Naruto in suspense.

"It sounds to me like you deserve getting your ass kicked. Hinata is the Heiress of the Hyuuga clan. Who knows what turmoil such an action could have caused." said Jiraiya, nodding his head as if agreeing with himself.

"But-But neither of you have heard my side of the story!" exclaimed Naruto in protest.

Jiraiya nodded.

"Okay, let's hear your side of the story." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade was about to open her mouth in protest, but Naruto cut her off.

"It wouldn't matter what I'd say anyway! When I tried to tell her before, she didn't believe me and chased me across town!" exclaimed Naruto with his arms crossed.

"Hmmm... Hiashi was the only eye-witness aside from Naruto..." began Jiraiya.

"Yeah, but he's trying to get a restraining order on me!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Hey! Hey! Hiashi may not like you, but he would never lie. It's a... um... it's Hyuuga thing." said Jiraiya, pointing towards the Hyuuga Mansion.

"So I say we pay him a visit." said Jiraiya with full confidence in his student.

"I'll do you one better, I'll call Hiashi and Hinata to my office to talk about it themselves." said Tsunade with a smirk.

"Okay, sounds good to me!" said Jiraiya as he grabbed Naruto by the arm.

_'Oh no! Not Hinata! She was unconscious! I don't want her to know about it! I don't want such a nice girl to hate me!'_ thought Naruto as he blushed when he thought of the Hyuuga girl, but he didn't know why he blushed.

* * *

Later at the Hokage's office, everyone was in attendance... except Hinata.

"Hiashi..." said Tsunade angrily as she kept an eye on Naruto.

"I thought that I specifically requested that you bring Hinata here." said Tsunade in frustration.

She sat behind her desk, ready to strike at Naruto in case he tried to get away.

Hiashi was on the other side of the room by himself, while Jiraiya stood next to Tsunade with his hand confidently on Naruto's shoulder.

"I would have brought Hinata along, but if would have been useless since she is still unconscious." said Hiashi in a bored monotone voice.

"Unconscious! Aaaaalrriiiiiiight Naruto! You..." began Jiraiya before he was cut off by Tsunade hitting him on the head.

"(Sigh) Okay fine. Hiashi, tell me exactly what you saw when Naruto had your daughter." said Tsunade.

Hiashi sighed and revealed exactly what had happened from his point of view.

It was slightly differently than what Naruto thought had happened since it came from a father's perspective, but it leaned towards Naruto's side of it being an accident anyways.

"YES! HA! I told you I didn't do anything wrong... well... on purpose anyway" said Naruto as he went to leave.

Suddenly Tsunade swept across the room and blocked the doorway.

There was something about Tsunade's demeanor that told Naruto that he wasn't in trouble anymore. Tsunade seemed to be much nicer towards him since she heard the truth from Hiashi.

"Wait Naruto, there are still some things I need to know..." said Tsunade with her arms crossed.

"From you... Hiashi." said Tsunade.

Hiashi gave her a look as though he didn't care.

"Go on..." said Hiashi, waiting for her to respond.

"Why did you still want to have a restraining order on Naruto, if it was an accident?" asked Tsunade.

This caught everyone off guard except Jiraiya who smiled and shouted "Restraining order! Aaaaalriiiiight Na..."

"Jiraiya! I swear to god!" said Tsunade threateningly as Jiraiya held up his hands in defense.

"Go on Hiashi..." said Naruto.

Everyone looked at Naruto, who had a serious look on his face.

"Tell us all the real reason you wanted me away from Hinata" said Naruto as he gave Hiashi a glare.

Hiashi looked suprised at this reaction from Naruto, but ignored it.

"After that... incident... I realized that Naruto was getting too close to her, so I wanted you away. It is as simple as that." said Hiashi matter-of-factly.

"Too close? I'm just her friend! How is that too close?" asked Naruto incredulously.

"Hinata is to grow up to become Clan leader one day, and will not have time for friends." stated Hiashi coldly.

"I do not want to have her going through losing friends because of her role in our clan, so it would just be easier on her if she had no friends in the first place." said Hiashi stubbornly.

Tsunade could see the logic in this, and was going to say that she mostly agreed with him to end a fight she knew was coming between the two, but she was quickly cut off by Naruto.

"YOU LIAR!" said Naruto quite accusingly.

Hiashi looked suprised to say the least...

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

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	4. Emotional Anger

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 4:**_

_**Emotional Anger:**_

_**

* * *

**_

"YOU LIAR!" shouted Naruto angrily.

Hiashi looked surprised to say the least...

_'I know why he doesn't want me around Hinata. In fact, I know why he doesn't want me around at all!'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto scowled and crossed his arms. He was going to get him to say it. He was at least going to get him to tell the truth.

"Excuse me? Are you accusing me of lying?" asked Hiashi coldly.

Hiashi demeanor was calm and collected, blatantly showcasing his status superiority.

"Uh-Yeah! You! You're lying!" said Naruto while glaring at him.

"Hold on Naruto, what makes you say that?" asked Tsunade.

She had forgiven the boy, since he technically did nothing wrong, but from what she could tell, he was making a wild accusation here.

"Okay first of all..." said Naruto, holding up his left fist.

Naruto held up his index finger.

"One, whenever Hinata is around me she is always smiling, so therefore she is always happy to see me." said Naruto.

"And that alone proves that I am not a pervert, otherwise she wouldn't be happy to see me if I was." said Naruto.

Naruto held up a second finger.

"Two, as clan head, you have plenty of time to do what you want, I've seen you doing absolutely nothing countless times before." accused Naruto.

Naruto held up a third finger.

"And Three, your pulse slightly increased when you were talking, and that means you lied about what you said!" accused Naruto.

All three of them looked to Hiashi, expecting some kind of answer.

Hiashi couldn't think of anything to say back to those facts, so he just sat there, and without meaning to, looked down to the floor, showing a bit of guilt.

"Aha! You did lie!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto's face changed as he wore a hateful glare towards Hiashi.

"Now Then..." began Naruto.

Naruto said this in an almost menacing voice that made everyone, even Hiashi, jump slightly.

"Tell us all... Why you want me away from Hinata." said Naruto.

Naruto's anger was obvious, the displeasure upon his face made it obvious.

"Well..." Hiashi started as he looked away from Naruto.

"I don't want Hinata getting into any kind of friendshi..." began Hiashi.

But he was quickly cut off.

"_NO!_" shouted Naruto with a voice that started to scare even Tsunade and Jiraiya.

"Tell us the **REAL** reason!" growled Naruto.

Naruto's voice was becoming more and more demonic as his anger rose.

But despite this, no answer came from the silent Hyuuga. He simply closed his eyes, and said nothing.

"Why don't you just go and say it..." whispered Naruto so that they could barely hear him.

"I dont know what you are talking abou..."

"WHY DON'T YOU JUST SAY IT!" shouted Naruto as tears started to well up in his eyes.

"Naruto, what are you talking about?" asked Tsunade with a worried voice.

"SAY IT!" screamed Naruto as he choked back tears.

"Say why you hate me! Just fucking ADMIT IT!" shouted Naruto.

His chakra began to build up around him in a spike of incredible power.

"Hate you? Why does he hate you!" exclaimed Jiraiya.

"Oh gee I don't FUCKING know..." gasped Naruto between sobs.

"Why else would anyone HIASHI'S AGE, hate ME?" asked Naruto, as he suddenly dropped onto his knees holding back the tears to keep himself from sobbing.

Tsunade finally realized what he was talking about. He was talking about the Kyuubi sealed inside of him, and because of a decree made by the fourth hokage himself, no one could speak of the Kyuubi sealed within Naruto. The only people who knew of the Kyuubi were the people who were there to witness the Kyuubi's attack, like Hiashi.

The Village people were always mean to him (damn that band):3, and on top of that, the villagers of Konoha all hated him, just because of something he was born with. The damn fox didn't control his personality. He was himself, but the older villagers of Konoha told their children to stay away from him because he was "bad".

And now Naruto had to face the fact that one of his best friends was going to be forcefully kept away from him because of it. Naruto's life had been lonely. A living hell, until he got a few friends. But now one of them was being taken away, and it was because of such despicable prejudice like that of Hiashi's that was causing it to happen.

"Naruto..." said Tsunade sadly.

She looked upon her little Naruto, who was on his hands and knees, nearly sobbing for something that he couldn't control. Naruto could usually take so much pain and suffering. He would always shrug it off like it was nothing. But when it came to friends and people close to him, it hit Naruto harder than it ever could in any other way.

"Hiashi..." said Tsunade menacingly.

"God damn you!" exclaimed Tsunade.

She stomped towards him. But she stopped when she heard a voice.

"Say it." seethed Naruto.

Hiashi and Tsunade looked over to Naruto, who was now standing up with his fists clenched tight.

"Say it now... Fucking say it now!" shouted Naruto loudly.

The pure anger was expressed by the red in his eyes.

Hiashi was trembling before Naruto's immense chakra pressure. He could feel the destructive power of Naruto, and right now all of it was directed at him. The once cool and collective Hiashi now had a look of fear on his face as he stepped away from Naruto.

He trembled before Naruto and he tried to act calm, but his fear was getting the best of him.

"D-Demon child..." stuttered out Hiashi.

Naruto not only looked even more pissed, but even more chakra spewed out of him. There was so much chakra, that the pressure from it was causing the room to slightly melt from the natural heat of the raw energy. Even his tears had quickly evaporated.

Tsunade was amazed that this amount of power came from the boy without using the Kyuubi's Chakra.

_'His chakra levels are WAY past Kage, and he isn't even using Kyuubi's Chakra yet!' _thought Tsunade.

She looked on with awe,but she snapped out of her stupor and glared at Hiashi.

"Naruto, that is enough." said Tsunade sternly.

She walked cautiously over to Naruto and put her face next to his ear.

"Its not your fault he's a heartless bastard just like the rest." whispered Tsunade gently.

Naruto's chakra output dropped completely, showing that what she had said had calmed him down significantly.

"Hyuuga Hiashi." stated Tsunade formally, giving him an icy glare.

"Not only do I deny your request for a restraining order, but as Hokage I proclaim that from this point on, if you so much as breath the wrong way towards Naruto for any reason, I will have your head." said Tsunade angrily.

"But... But" started Hiashi in protest.

"As the Hokage what I say is law." said Tsunade matter-of-factly.

"But..." said Hiashi trying to start up an argument.

"Law." stated Tsunade in response.

"Go on now Naruto. Go and get yourself a bite to eat with Jiraiya while I straighten some things out." said Tsunade with a smile.

She motioned for Jiraiya to take him.

Before Naruto left, Tsunade slipped something into his pocket.

Jiraiya took Naruto out of the room with his hand on his shoulder "Alright! I know a great place down by Kempta's where the fish is to DIE for! I swear that if you tried..." said Jiraiya.

His voice was cut off by the shutting of the door. This left Hiashi alone with Tsunade.

"And as for you Hyuuga Hiashi, you are dismissed." said Tsunade to a slightly shaken up Hiashi.

Hiashi turned around slowly at first, but began to make his way to the door.

"And you know what sickens me the most?" asked Tsunade, glaring at him from across the room.

Hiashi stopped to listen.

"You hate Naruto for absolutely no good reason, but Naruto will never HATE you. Even after all of the terrible things that have happened here today." said Tsunade as she walked toward her desk.

Tsunade walked around her desk, and sat down comfortably.

"Naruto will always forgive, and never hate. Unless they do something unforgivable of course." said Tsunade.

_'Like Orochuimaru and the Akatsuki.' _thought Tsuande.

"And at this point, you have not done anything completely unforgivable... So he will forgive you if you apologize." said Tsunade.

"Now... Are you going to be a man, and apologize to him like you should? Or will you go on knowing that you deeply hurt someone who is still willing to forgive you, even though you don't deserve it?" questioned Tsunade rhetorically.

Hiashi walked out a little shakily as Tsunade smiled to herself, happy that the snobby Hyuuga had actually gotten scared in the presence of Naruto.

_'Hmmm... Naruto will make a good Hokage someday, but before he does that, he needs to find a way to control his anger.' _thought Tsunade as she smiled to herself.

* * *

Over at Ichiraku's, Jiraiya had tried to cheer Naruto up, but to no avail. He tried talking of new jutsus, old acquaintances, and even some of the good old times they experienced on their travels. But nothing worked. Naruto just continued to stare down at his empty bowl, obviously thinking to himself.

Jiraiya sighed and paid for the meal, and he left Naruto to wander in his thoughts.

_'Why are they all so mean to me?' _thought Naruto.

_'Why can't they all just ignore me without making mean faces or comments?' _thought Naruto.

If everyone simply ignored him, it wouldn't be s bad, but there was always people who gave him the most hateful glares.

_'Everyone just wants me dead.' _thought Naruto sadly.

As soon as Naruto thought this, he knew it wasn't true. There were a few people who were still nice to him. Tsunade, Hayate, Jiraiya, Sakura, Lee, Gai, Kurenai, sometimes Kiba, Shino... not sure, Hinata...

"Hinata... She probably hates me..." mumbled Naruto as sat down under a tree.

Rested his arms on his knees, and his chin on his arms.

He already had so few friends, losing even a single one of them seemed so horrible to him.

The thought of losing a friend as nice as Hinata made him feel sick to his stomach.

Whenever she was around, he felt happy. Even though she usually fainted and blushed all the time, she was always good company. She was always full of positive comments towards him, and she always tried to encourage him when he was down.

_'These feelings I have towards Hinata... They are confusing...'_ thought Naruto as he sighed.

_'This feeling I get when she is around... It makes me happy, but at the same time nervous and anxious. And I can't figure out why...' _thought Naruto.

_**"Hm hm hm hm..." **_chuckled Kyuubi with his mouth twisted into a grin.

"What? What's so funny?" asked Naruto.

Naruto was peeved that the the Kyuubi had been listening in on his thoughts. It didn't happen often as far as he knew, but it was still very intruding.

_**"Oh nothing... nothing... It's just that you are the densest boy I have ever had the misfortune to know." **_commented Kyuubi snidely.

Naruto decided to ignore him, and began to think to himself again.

_'If I ask Tsunade or Jiraiya about these feelings, maybe they'll know what they are all about.' _thought Naruto.

He laid down on the grass, and looked up at the clouds.

"Did you say something?" asked a voice from right next to him.

He jumped and looked to his left to find Shikamaru, with his hands behind his head, staring up at the clouds.

"Oh... Hey Shikamaru." said Naruto as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

_'Dang... must of been talking out loud with the Kyuubi' _thought Naruto as he tried thinking of something to say in return.

When nothing came to mind, Naruto had to think of something to say, so he started up a different conversation.

"So... How's Choji and Ino?" asked Naruto politely as he looked up at the clouds with him.

"Eh... they're alright I guess, except Ino likes Choji, but he doesn't have a clue." said Shikamaru as though it were old news.

"Whoa! No way!" said Naruto.

"Yeah, its been a while now since I figured it out, and whenever Ino is near Chouji, you could cut the tension in the air with a knife." commented Shikamaru as he smiled to himself.

"Heh, yeah. I could sympathize with that..." said Naruto.

(Grrrrnnnnnn.)

The sound that erupted from his stomach made Naruto blush slightly.

"..."

"Well, I hope that works itself out and all, but I got some things to attend to. So... see ya!" said Naruto with a wave.

Shikamaru waved back to Naruto, and smiled, looking back up at the clouds.

"I bet, if Naruto took notice to Hinata's obvious attraction to him, they would probably make a good couple." said Shikamaru to no one in particular as he gazed up into the clouds.

* * *

"Hmm... maybe I should have taken up Jiraiya on his offer and eaten more while it was free." said Naruto.

Naruto walked through the streets, looking for something to eat.

As he walked through the crowded streets, his own worries were starting to outweigh his hunger.

"Man! I really want to know what Hinata thinks of what happened! Or if she even knows... But right now, I'm too hungry to do anything..." said Naruto.

"Hey Naruto! Come over here and grab a bite to eat with me!" said a voice to his left.

Naruto turned to see Chouji, sitting at a restaurant of sorts, with a plate of food, and smile on his face.

"I'd love to, but I don't have any money on me..." said Naruto sadly.

"That's alright! Here at Seiler's, the first meal is always free!" said Choji happily.

"No kidding?" exclaimed Naruto as he ran over and sat down next to him at the bar.

"Yeah! It's awesome! It's some kind of promotional give-away to attract customers." said Choji.

"Here you go... stange orange person..." said the owner as he placed a bowl of ramen in front of him.

"..."

"Um... thanks?" said Naruto questionably as he looked at this new person behind the counter. He wore all skateboard wear, all his clothes looked brand new. He had a .45 Calibur Magnum tucked into his belt.

"No problem, just come back again..." said the owner.

"..."

Naruto noticed the .45, but decided that he probably had it just because he was a store owner, and didn't want to get robbed.

"So um... Chouji, do you know where I can find the training ground of Team 8?" asked Naruto.

"Hm? Uh... yeah! It's training ground 67 as of late, but why do you need to know that?" asked Choji curiously.

"I need to talk to Hinata." said Naruto as he stared off into space, thinking about her.

"It sounds to me as though you are in love with this... Hinata." said Bryant.

"Wha? No! I... um... what is your name?" asked Naruto curiously.

"I am called Bryant, and I am the proprietor of this delicatessen..." said Bryant monotonously.

"Okay, well, I don't need you poking around were you shouldn't." said Naruto.

"That's what she said." said Bryant.

"No, what I meant was, I don't need you to tell me about my life." said Naruto.

"Okay, but it's not my fault that you are ugly." said Bryant non-chalantly.

"What? I'm not ugly!" exclaimed Naruto in defense.

"If you can't admit it, then leave." said Bryant harshly.

"No! Besides, you're the ugly one!" said Naruto.

"I need a bag to go over your head!" exclaimed Naruto meanly.

"That's what she said..." said Bryant with a smirk.

"..."

"I'm out of here, I'll be sure to stop by again when you aren't such a jerk." said Naruto as he got up from his seat.

"Okay then have a nice ugly life." said Bryant as he put Naruto's Ramen in a bag to go.

"No! you can't put a bag over it! It's not as good if you put a bag over it!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Heh, that's what she said." said Bryant as he handed Naruto the ramen.

"..."

"I'm going to leave now." said Naruto.

Naruto turned around and ran in the direction of training area 67.

"Later Naruto!" shouted Chouji as Naruto disappeared from view.

"Hehe, that was funny." said Chouji to Bryant.

"Yeah, I know right?" said Bryant as he held out his fist out to Chouji.

Choji then took his fist and bumped it.

"Heh, owned!" said Chouji as he got back to eating.

"Wanna get pimped out?" said Bryant while winking.

"...I think I'm going to leave too..." said Chouji.

* * *

**--END OF CHAPTER--**


	5. Talking in Spite

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 5:**_

_**Talking in Spite:**_

_**

* * *

**_

It was a new day, but there only seemed to be one thing left on his mind.

He needed to find out if Hinata hated him for what had happened yesterday, and if she knew the truth. If she didn't know, then he had the proof to show her.

But if he didn't find out soon, the thought of not knowing if Hinata hated him or not was enough to make his heart ache with a sharp pain. He had to sort this out, or else things with Hinata could take a turn for the worse.

_'The only place I know where to find her without running into Hiashi, is the Training ground of Team 8.'_ thought Naruto.

"The only way to make this right, is to confront her, and tell her the truth." said Naruto.

_'It might be an uncomfortable discussion, but it has to be done.'_ thought Naruto

* * *

At the Hyuuga mansion, Hinata was in her bed where her father had left her. She would have kept sleeping, but there were voices coming from the hallway outside her room. She could hear them talking, and it was not with a happy tone.

She opened her eyes, and sat up, instinctively grabbing her mirror from on top of her nightstand to see how see looked.

She awoke red in the face for some reason, and she began to wonder how she had even gotten in her bed.

_'It must have all been a dream...'_ thought Hinata as she flung the sheets off of her.

She gasped as she looked down to see that her pants were stained near her crotch.

She blushed at this, and went to change into different clothes. Usually Hyuugas were always respectable, and never showed any form of indecency. But Hinata looked at herself in the mirror to see that her pants were almost completely soaked at the waist. She blushed knowing that she had an extremely perverted wet dream...

_'It had something to do with me sticking my hands down Naruto's... pants... '_ thought Hinata as her face flushed completely red.

(Bleahck!)

Blood came out of her nose at the mere thought of the dream, staining her carpet with a little blood. She blushed as she held her hands over her nose.

_'I've got to learn how to control... that...'_ thought Hinata.

She looked around the room for a tissue, embarrassed that she was so easily overwhelmed.

After she cleaned it up she looked at the clock to see that she should have been at the training grounds by now.

"Eeep!" said Hinata as she realized her tardiness.

She quickly changed her clothes, and ran up to the door of her room.

But she stopped when she began hearing voices again.

"Who does she think she is!"

It was her father, the leader of the Hyuuga, and the Clan Head.

"...Of course she did have a point..." continued Hiashi.

_'Hmmm... father must be talking to himself again.'_ thought Hinata as she listened in.

"I know I shouldn't have been so rude to the boy, that much I realize. But him fondling my daughter is another thing." said Hiashi.

"(Gasp)"

She realized that some boy must have been inappropriate with her younger sister Hanabi.

_'That's awful! Poor Hanabi!'_ thought Hinata.

"He has been taking alot of torment for no reason... but that does not mean I will forgive him so easily." said Hiashi.

She listened and heard Hiashi's footsteps. They got fainter and fainter until she heard the opening and closing of the outside slide doors.

"...I will have to ask father about it later, right now, I am already late!" said Hinata.

She rushed out the door for their designated Training area.

* * *

At Training Area 67, Kiba was patiently waiting with Shino. The only one not to show up was Hinata.

"Sooooo..." said Kiba as he looked at Shino.

It had been a couple minutes since Hinata was supposed to be there, and the time had been passed with awkward silence.

Shino could tell that Kiba felt uncomfortable in the silence, so he tried to drum up a conversation.

"Ummm... There's a bug on your back." said Shino as he pointed at a small bug on the back of Kiba's right shoulder.

"Oh, really? Could you brush it off?" asked Kiba as he turned revealing what must have been the biggest spider Shino had ever seen, at least 2 feet in diameter.

"Um... No." said Shino as he pointed to Kiba's back.

Kiba reached back and calmly picked up the spider from behind him and put it in his face so he could get a good look at it.

"OH MY FREAKING LORD!" screamed Kiba as the spider squirmed in his hands.

The spider latched onto his face.

"GET IT OFF ME!" screamed Kiba.

"GET IT OFF OF ME!" shreaked Kiba.

Kiba was now randomly rolling around on the ground.

Shino sighed and made a few hand signs, putting his hand over his mouth. It appeared as though nothing happened, but then the spider jumped away from Kiba, looked at Shino, then scurried off.

"(Pant)(pant)Oh my god!" exclaimed Kiba.

"Relax, I talked to it, and it said it was just sitting there minding its own business, when some idiot picked him up." said Shino.

"Hey!" said Kiba in defense.

"He then said he tried to get away, but then the idiot started rolling around on the floor like he was on fire." said Shino calmly.

Kiba gave him an angry look, but decided to drop it.

It was silent again for a few more minutes.

"..."

"So... if what you say is true, it is of utmost importance that Hinata knows." said Shino.

"Yeah, Hinata needs to know what was said between the Hokage and Naruto." scowled Kiba.

Just the thought of Naruto doing such a thing to defile Hinata, made his blood boil.

"If what you heard is true, than I have lost all respect for the Uzumaki." said Shino.

"You had respect for him before?" asked Kiba incredulously.

"Yes. On many levels Naruto is a very good person, and this just doesn't seem like something Naruto would do." said Shino.

"Really?" asked Kiba.

"Yes. Naruto has the utmost respect for women, and always makes sure to subside his temptations so that he can provide respect for them." said Shino who was now looking directly at Kiba.

"Oh... That doesn't seem like the Naruto I know." replied Kiba as he returned the gaze.

"Then I guess you don't know him very well then." said Shino, defending Naruto.

Kiba was about to yell at him for defending him, when he was quickly cut off by the Aburame.

"Regardless if he did do this or not, we still have to tell Hinata either way." said Shino.

Kiba nodded towards him, deciding not to start an argument. He looked towards the Village to see someone heading up the path.

"Well, speak of the devil..." said Kiba.

He pointed towards Hinata, who was running towards them with a smile on her face.

Hinata skidded to a stop and caught her breathe.

"Kiba-kun. Shino-kun. I am sorry I am late. For some reason, I was still asleep." apologized Hinata.

Kiba and Shino looked at each other.

"Hinata... We have somethin' to tell you. Something important." said Kiba, looking serious.

Hinata saw the look on his face, and realized it must have been something that had made the two very anxious and worried.

"W-What is it?" asked Hinata politely.

She seemed calm on the outside, but being as paranoid as she was, she was actually fearing the worst.

"Well I... I sort of... _overheard_ the Hokage and Naruto talking yesterday." said Kiba, trying to keep a calm face.

"Okay... And?" asked Hinata, who was now very anxious as well.

"I heard the Hokage screaming at Naruto, for something he did wrong... _very_ wrong..." said Kiba.

Hinata put both of her hands over her mouth in worry.

"Oh no..." said Hinata.

She was worried that Naruto had probably been severely punished if the Hokage herself had yelled at him.

"Yeah... I heard Lady Tsunade say that your father had come in to talk to her personally, requesting a restraining order against Naruto." said Kiba with a serious face.

"(Gasp!) A-a res... A restaining order?" asked Hinata incredulously.

_'Was Naruto the one who was innapropriate with my sister?' _thought Hinata in shock.

This thought made her angry that Naruto would do something like that to her sister. Right after the thought, she felt a pang of jealousy and anger. She couldn't believe that Naruto would ever do such a thing.

"Wha... um... What did he do?" asked Hinata.

She silently prayed that he accidentally did something, or that Hanabi had just made it up to get him into trouble.

Hanabi seemed to be that way lately, so sh was leaning towards that being a possibility.

"He... Um... he... well he sort of... um..." stuttered Kiba while blushing.

"He stuck your hand in his pants." said Shino bluntly.

"Wha... wha... what?" stammered Hinata.

"Your hand. His pants. In them." said Shino bluntly again.

_'It wasn't Hanabi! It... it was m-me? NO! Naruto would never... he... Naruto...'_ thought Hinata.

She stared at the two, expecting for one of them to look up at her smiling, and say that they were justs pulling her leg. But no such luck, as Shino and Kiba looked to be sad to tell her such a thing.

Hinata was in denial.

_'This... This can't be true! It must be lies! All lies! The Naruto I know wouldn't do that! The Naruto I know wouldn't defile a woman in any way! The Naruto I know wouldn't betray my trust!'_ thought Hinata emotionally.

But then she had a realization. The dream she had.

_'Wait... that wasn't a dream?'_ thought Hinata as she remembered her dream.

In her dream she felt that her hand had been restricted, so she jumped up from the arms of her capture to find that her right hand was in Naruto's pants.

_'So... so it wasn't a dream...'_ thought Hinata as she stood shakily.

She was pale in the face as she looked on to her comrade's faces to find that they were not joking, and were both staring at the ground while slightly blushing.

After a long silence Hinata finally spoke up.

"But... But Naruto would never... Naruto would never do anything like that!" exclaimed Hinata, denying everything over and over in her head.

"Hinata I... I heard it come from the mouth of the Hokage herself as an accusation! And he didn't deny it, there was only the screaming of the Hokage." said Kiba.

If it had come from the Hokage herself, and he didn't deny it, it must have been true.

She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she held back the sobs she knew were coming.

"No... No. Naruto..." whispered Hinata.

She felt the tears in her eyes already, they were starting to make their way down her cheeks.

"I... I trusted him... I-I trusted him... with my life." choked Hinata.

She was choking back tears. All these years of trust, love, and devotion for him. The loving image she had of him, was shattered. Like a glass arrow shot against a stone wall.

She couldn't bare it. She couldn't bare to be in public, to be anywhere where anyone could see her. She just wanted to run away from it all, to lay down, and sob her eyes out.

"Hey! Hinata!" came a voice from behind them.

Hinata froze, instantly recognizing the voice.

"Hinata!" said Naruto as he ran up to the three.

All he got was cold silence as he got bad looks from Kiba, and possibly Shino, but he couldn't tell.

"You've got alot of nerve to show up here." said Kiba angrily, trying to stare him down.

"What? What do you me..." began Naruto.

Naruto stopped talking as Hinata turned around to show her face. Her eyes still swollen up from tears and she looked to be on the verge of breaking down.

"Hi-Hinata!" said Naruto as he saw the state she was in.

"Hinata I..." began Naruto.

"I... I trusted... you. I would have t-trusted you w-w-with anything!" sobbed Hinata as tears poured down her face.

Naruto realized that Hinata knew. She had heard what had happened, probably from her father.

"Hinata... I... I..." stammered Naruto.

"Go away..." whispered Hinata quietly.

He could barely hear her through her tears.

"Hinata... let me expla..." began Naruto.

"JUST GO AWAY!" screamed Hinata.

She shut her eyes and ran off past Naruto towards town.

Naruto stood there, stunned at what had just happened.

Kiba gave him a smirk as though he deserved what he got.

Naruto gave him a menacing look in return, then he ran after Hinata.

* * *

Hinata had stopped running and was curled up against a tree near Training ground #50, and was balling her eyes out.

_'How could I have been so foolish, so blind?'_ thought Hinata.

Her hopes and dreams with Naruto, shattered right in front of her face.

She had already thought that her dreams of being with Naruto were unlikely and unrealistic. But even so, now that she had discovered how he really was...

Hinata sat there in her own sorrow, and heard foot steps. They were fast at first, but as they neared her they slowed down to a walk. Whoever it was, they were getting closer to her and would probably try to ask her what was wrong, and why she was crying. So she collected herself, and readied herself to explain anything and everything that had happened to whoever it was, just so that she could let it all out.

She jerked her head quickly up to see who it was and was shocked to see Naruto with an extremely sad face, sitting closely in front of her. She felt sorry for him for a moment, but that went away after she remembered what he did.

"Hinata..." began Naruto.

Hinata closed her eyes and looked away from him, letting tears fall down her face once again. She didn't want to look at him, it only made her more sad and more angry. But he was too close to her, and she had to see his face when she told him off. So she slowly opened her eyes and turned to face him.

"Naruto" said Hinata with a stern voice.

This surprised Naruto, and caught him off guard.

"Wha... w-what you did w-was despicable..." Hinata more tears coming to her eyes.

"Hinata let me..." began Naruto again but he was easily cut off by the Hyuuga girl.

"Despicable!" she said with an affirmed but trembling voice.

Naruto could feel the sadness and tears welling up in his eyes, he could feel he was losing a best friend.

"I trusted you... I trusted you, and even liked you for who you are." said Hinata.

Naruto could only sit there stunned as he heard this. He was happy that she liked him for who he was, but that was cut to shreds with what she said next.

"I..." choked Hinata, trying to gain her composure.

"I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" screamed Hinata as she sat upright.

Her eyes were shut tight, and her hands were clenched as though it was hard for her to even be there, next to _him_.

"Hin..."

"EVER AGAIN!" screamed Hinata again.

She opened her eyes so she could see him walk away from her in shame.

But what she saw was not what she had expected. Naruto was standing firmly in front of her, his eyes were pouring out tears, as he was choking them back, trying to say something.

All of the years of being mistreated, of being a village pariah. Even when he was little, he was treated so badly. He was yelled at to go away and never return, even when he had done nothing.

And seeing Hinata, one of his best friends, shout this in his face...

Finally something in Naruto snapped. He looked up at Hinata with anger in his eyes.

"FINE!" screamed Naruto.

Hinata was caught off guard as she backed up against the tree again.

"FINE! FINE! FINE! Be like the rest of the villagers! See if I care!" shouted Naruto.

"I just wanted you to know the truth!" said Naruto, choking back tears and clenching his fists.

He then threw a small box into her lap which was wrapped with a red silk ribbon.

"Sorry for being an inconvenience..." whispered Naruto sadly and angrily as he turned around.

He whipped around to meet face to face with Neji Hyuuga, Hinata's cousin and official Body Guard. He was a Branch member and was marked with the "Caged bird seal" which he kept behind his forehead protector. Any Main branch member could activate the seal at will, and turn his brain into jelly if he misbehaved in any way. His job was to make sure that Hinata was safe, and he cared for his cousin, but it was his job no less and it had to be done.

"Is there a problem?" he asked Naruto threateningly as he crossed his arms.

With tears still in his eyes he looked at Neji most meanly. He was already in an unstable emotional state, and Neji confronting him did not sit well with him at all.

Naruto suddenly disappeared in a flash of light, and appeared on the other side of him.

Neji collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

Naruto smirked, but when he turned to see if Neji was alright, he saw Hinata who was now shocked, and at the same time holding back tears.

Naruto's tears returned as he closed his eyes letting them flow down his face. He quickly wiped the tears off of his face, turned away, and disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Hinata with a small box in her lap.

Naruto had disappeared without a trace, leaving a stunned Hinata sitting under the tree. The box in her hands sat loosely, her hands unconsciously fumbled it around.

She then looked from the box to Neji, who lay unconcious on the ground.

Hinata used her Byakugan to check if he was damaged in any way.

_'That Naruto... Who... who does he think he is? Doing this to Neji!'_ thought Hinata angrily.

She swept her Byakugan over Neji's body searching for injuries. What she found shocked her beyond belief. 128 of Neji's Tenketsu had been blocked by Naruto. She was still overly mad and sad towards Naruto, and was glad that he had gone, but she couldn't help it, she was in awe at how fast and accurate he had been. He moved so fast that it seemed like a flash of light. Neji would be fine in a short while, but it still infuriated Hinata.

She deactivated her Byakugan, and looked back to the box in her lap.

Her anger returned to her when she saw the box he had left, because it immediately brought back the pain to her mind, and her heart.

She felt like her heart was shattered, and that she would never try to love again. How could she forgive Naruto for taking her love and trust and crushing it into the dirt?

She angrily threw the small box's lid aside, the ribbon along with it, and wiped the tears from her eyes. She peered inside and found that there was some kind of tape recorder snugly stuffed into the box.

She gazed wonderingly at the box, and decided to listen to whatever was on the tape.

She looked at the film to make sure it was rewound, and pressed the play button.

She waited patiently, still choking back tears and sniffling from what had happened. But she tried to remain silent so that she could hear whatever was on the tape.

She heard nothing at first and was angry that Naruto had pulled a fast one on her, just to mess with her feelings again. This thought filled her with anger, and her eyes filled with more tears as she thought of her ex-crush.

"N-Naruto..." said Hinata angrily.

She went to throw the box far away in spite. Just as she was about to throw it, a voice came from the recorder, and it was not the one she expected to hear.

"Date: April 3rd, Topic: Uzumaki restraining order, Present witnesses: Jiraiya, Hiashi and Naruto." said Tsunade.

Hinata was shocked to hear the Hokage's voice on the recorder, and knew that it must have been the recording of the meeting for the restraining order against Naruto. She didn't know where this was going, but didn't have much time to think as the recorder continued.

"Hiashi..." said Tsunade angrily.

"I thought that I specifically requested that you bring Hinata here." said Tsunade.

Hinata was shocked that she wasn't told of such a meeting, but was answered by a recording of her father.

"I would have, but if would have been useless since she is still unconscious." said Hiashi in a bored monotone voice.

"Unconscious! Aaaaalrriiiiiiight Naruto! You..." began Jiraiya.

(Thud)

"(Sigh) Okay fine. Hiashi, tell me exactly what you saw when Naruto had your daughter." said the Hokage impatiently.

"I was getting my groceries for dinner. When I finished paying, I turned to see THAT BOY, with his hand holding my daughter's hand down his pants." said Hiashi.

Hinata's tears flowed anew, and she tightened her grip so that she had white knuckles.

She felt so violated, so wronged. She was so angry at this point that she was ready to run off and fill out the papers for the restraining order herself.

But what she heard next stopped her in her tracks.

"I asked him to explain himself, so I could make an example of him before punishing him." said Hiashi.

"..."

Hinata had never heard Naruto's side of the matter, and just decided that he was too untrustworthy to believe.

"He then had the gall to tell me, that while he was running with Hinata, her hand slipped down his pants." said Hiashi seethingly.

Hinata blushed at the possibility, but was immediately angry again when she concluded that it was just a lie to cover it up.

Her thinking was disrupted again as the recorder continued with her father's voice.

"But, I watched him say it with my Byakugan and I could tell, without a doubt, that he was telling the truth." said Hiashi distastefully.

Hinata was shocked at this new information, but before she could even think she was interrupted again, this time by Naruto.

"YES! HA! I told you I didn't do anything wrong... well... on purpose anyway." said Naruto confidently.

Then there was the sound of footsteps, and a clicking sound, which signified that someone had turned off the recorder.

Hinata sat there stunned beyond belief. Her mind was racing through the past events, realizing what she had done. Naruto was only trying to tell her the truth, and she spat in his face...

"And... and... I-I-I... told him... that I never wanted to... see him... again..." whispered Hinata.

She sat in a puddle of self realization. She no longer had any reason to hate Naruto, and the love she had for him rushed back into her heart, along with the sadness of knowing that she had pretty much told Naruto to go fuck off.

"Oh... Oh God... What h-h-have I d...d-done..." whispered Hinata as she poured tears of sorrow for Naruto, and her stupidity.

"Oh God! How could I have ever told him that!" exclaimed Hinata.

Everything had changed so fast. One minute she was heartbroken and emotionally distressed, and the next she realized it was all for nothing. Naruto was innocent, and she had told him that she never wanted to see him again.

"I... I Have to go and make this right!" affirmed Hinata.

She ran off towards town, not knowing where the blond had actually gone.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER


	6. Talking it Out

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 6:**_

_**Talking It Out:**_

* * *

Hinata had to find Naruto, he was the only thing on her mind at this point.

She was sprinting through the town, looking for her crush, but she didn't have any idea where he went since he disappeared so quickly.

_'Got to find him, got to apologize, got to tell him I'm an idiot, got to beg him to at least be my friend again...'_ thought Hinata desperately.

She stopped in an intersection to look and see if she could see the orange jumpsuit wearing blonde.

"He hates me, he probably hates my guts." said Hinata sadly.

She was still holding back her tears of sorrow for her idiotic-ness.

She entered the southern apartment complex grounds, and realized where she was.

"He must be at his house!" exclaimed Hinata as she turned right into Naruto's apartment complex.

What Hinata didn't know, was that someone was watching her from across the street.

_'Hinata! Going into Naruto's apartment!'_ thought Kurenai as she chuckled to herself.

_'I had no idea Hinata was such a... pervert!'_ thought Kurenai as she laughed to herself.

She was about to let Hinata do what she wanted with the boy, but then she saw someone walking towards her. He was probably the last person she expected to meet.

_'Oh Crap. Hiashi?'_ thought Kurenai as she smiled and waved at the Hyuuga.

Hiashi stopped right in front of her, with his patented Stern-father-figure-Clan-Leader-I-don't-give-a-crap look and began to address her formally.

"Ms. Kurenai?" asked Hiashi as though he was not sure.

"Yes?" said Kurenai in return, knowing the Hyuuga all too well as the head-asshole of the village.

"You are my daughter's Sensei, correct?" asked Hiashi.

"Yes, I believe I am." said Kurenai matter-of-factly.

"Well, I would like to talk to you about this upcoming mission my daughter is to be on." said Hiashi sternly.

"What about?" asked Kurenai.

"It is about Hinata, and her... living arrangements." said Hiashi, folding his arms.

Hiashi did not like the fact that Naruto and Hinata were going on a mission together, let alone sleeping near each other.

"What about them?" asked Kurenai politely.

Hiashi went to open his mouth, but before he could answer, the sound of broken glass filled the area.

They turned and looked down the street to see Kiba fly through a window, rolling randomly on the ground with an enourmous spider on his back.

"AHHHHH! AHHHHHH! GET IT OOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFF!" screamed Kiba as he rolled around some more.

Hiashi was shocked at this occurence and was annoyed, but decided to ignore it and continue.

"Ahem, as I was saying I..."

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" said Kiba.

"..."

"As I was..."

"AAAHHH!" said Kiba.

"..."

"As..."

"AAAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEYYYYYAAAAAHHHHH!" screamed Kiba as he smashed through another window across the street.

Voices could still be heard from the inside of the bar Kiba flew into.

"Hey what's the big idea buddy?" asked a man.

"Yeah, what's yer problem breaking this... OH MY GOD LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT SPIDER!" exclaimed another man.

Sounds of mass panic were heard as the bar evacuated, leaving Kiba on his own.

Hiashi was still surprised, but was determined to make sure that Hinata stayed away from_ that boy_.

"Whatever you want to say, you had better hurry, because the mission starts in one hour." said Kurenai.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" said Kiba from inside the bar.

"Wha...What did you say!" asked Hiashi, surprised that the mission was so soon.

"I SAID AAAAAHHHH!" screamed Kiba as they heard him stumbling over tables and chairs.

"HAVEN'T YOU BEEN LISTENING!" screamed Kiba as he fell back out of the window.

"Ahem...anyway..." began Hiashi.

"WHY DOESN'T ANYONE HELP ME!" screamed Kiba as he disappeared into an alley.

_'Grrrrr... With all of these interuptions, I will never be able to tell Kurenai that I want them to be kept apart.'_ thought Hiashi as he turned his attention back to Kurenai.

"Look, if it has something to do with Hinata, I'm sure you could just tell her, she's mature enough for whatever you may ask her." said Kurenai proudly.

"But I may not have time to tell her." protested Hiashi.

"Yeah you do. As soon as she's done at Naruto's apartment, I'm sure you could talk to her." said Kurenai with a mischievous smirk.

Hiashi stood stunned at what she had said.

She had probably given Naruto a death sentence, but it was worth it to see the look on Hiashi's face.

"...Hinata... Done... Appartment... NARUTO!" exclaimed Hiashi incredulously as he glared at Kurenai.

"How could you let this happen!" seethed Hiashi.

But Kurenai just smiled and put her hands on her hips.

"I usually let things take thier natural course..." said Kurenai, smirking at where she was leading the conversation.

"And if that involves letting them go at it like rabbits on a daily basis, then so be it." said Kurenai with a smirk.

"Like... rabbits... DAILY!" screamed Hiashi as he ran toward Naruto's apartment.

_'Hahaa! I don't even know if Hinata is there to visit Naruto or not. Hell, I know for a fact that she's still a virgin.'_ thought Kurenai happily.

It wasn't often she got to pull a prank, and the fact that the prank was on Hiashi, made it all the sweeter.

Hiashi ran up to the door of the apartment complex, and right before he opened the door, it flew open, knocking him onto his butt, as a Hinata blur zoomed over him like he didn't exist.

Hinata still couldn't find Naruto, and she was running out of places to look. She knew one person that for sure knew where Naruto was at almost all times, but it would be hard to get an appointment with Tsunade before the mission.

"The mission... THE MISSION!" shreaked Hinata as she realized that the mission was less then an hour away.

She had no choice, she had to barge into the Hokage's office, without an appointment.

Half an hour later, Hinata found herself running down the hall to the Hokage's office, but there was a Chunnin blocking the way.

He stood up formally and held up his hand. "I'm sorry miss, but I cannot allow you to enter." said the Chunnin, as he examined the state of the emotionally distressed Hyuuga girl.

"Bite me" said Hinata.

She pushed the chunnin a little too hard, and he flew out of the window behind him.

She would have to say she was sorry later, but right now, Naruto was priority number one.

She nearly broke the door in as she flew into the Hokage's office. She was ready to tell the hokage everything that had happened, so that she could get Tsunade to help her. But when she looked around the room, she saw the last person she expected to see.

It was Naruto, he was on his hands and knees next to the Hokage's desk, and was trying very hard to hold back his tears.

Tsunade had her hand on Naruto's shoulder, and was trying to comfort him. She had an uncharacteristic and almost motherly look on her face as she tried to calm him down.

But that expression changed as she looked up to see Hinata. Naruto had apparently told her everything that had happened, because the expression she wore towards Hinata did not show happiness, but it showed anger towards her.

"You've got a lot of nerve to show up here." said Tsunade sternly.

What Tsunade said, reminded Hinata of what happened when Naruto tried to explain, but this time it was the Hokage saying it instead of Kiba.

"I... I..." said Hinata, feeling the tears well up in her eyes again.

So this was how Naruto felt, when he tried to tell her the truth, but was shot down. She felt terrible. For all she had done to Naruto, she felt she deserved to be punished. She didn't want Naruto to hate her. She didn't want Naruto to feel like she hated him. She didn't hate him, she was very very far from hating him. But she had told him that she did. She had told him that she never wanted to see him again. She could only imagine what pain he was feeling. Pain that she caused.

"Well?" asked Tsunade impatiently as she struck a threatening pose.

"N-NARUTO!" screamed Hinata as she flew across the room.

What she did next even surprised the hokage.

Hinata flew onto Naruto and wrapped her arms around him a close embrace.

"I'm Sorry!" exclaimed Hinata as tears line her cheeks.

"I'm Sorry! I'm Sorry! I'm Sorry!" exclaimed Hinata frantically.

Naruto was now in shock at the girl who had him in a bear hug. A little while ago, she told him that she never wanted to see him again, but now...

After a few moments, Hinata regained her composure a little.

"I... I heard the tape." said Hinata, quietly, trying not to stutter.

Naruto now realized why she was saying she was sorry.

_'So... so she listened to the tape after all.'_ thought Naruto as his mind raced.

"I soooo sorrrrrryyyyy!" sobbed Hinata as she hugged him a bit tighter.

"I... I... I-I was a com... complete j-jerk to you, b-but I... I didn't know... I thought you... that you had b-broken my t-trust I had f-for y-y-you" stuttered Hinata between sobs.

Naruto was so happy that Hinata had forgiven him. Now that she knew the truth, he wanted to let her know that he forgave her too.

'Will he forgive me? Will he ever want to see me again, after all that was said?' thought Hinata.

Hinata's body and mind were both stressed to a breaking point. She needed him to say something. Anything.

Naruto really didn't know what to say. He was never good with words when it came down to moments like these. So he just returned the hug.

"Eeep!" squeaked Hinata.

He hugged her back snugly, holding her close.

She blushed at his return of affection as they held each other, letting their tears flow down each other's backs.

Naruto leaned in close to her ear and whispered something that made Hinata almost burst into more tears.

"I forgive you too." said Naruto quietly.

They sat in that position for a couple minutes as they both felt an overwhelming joy built up in thier hearts.

"I'm so happy that you decided to forgive me" said Naruto as he let tears of joy land on Hinata.

"For-forgive you? Y-you didn't d anything wrong y-you silly." stuttered out Hinata.

"Oh yeah..." said Naruto smiling.

She knew that she could trust him with all of her heart. She felt foolish that she ever thought otherwise.

Tsunade stood staring at the two and smiled to herself.

_'Well, at least they made up.'_ thought Tsunade as relief swept over her as well.

Naruto could feel Hinata's steadily breathing, her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm that enticed him to listen closer. He was beginning to feel the warmth from Hinata's body join his. She was so warm and comforting, and she was hugging him. Suddenly Naruto became very nervous, even a little bit anxious. His heart began to speed up, and with it, an unexplainable level of happiness rising from nowhere to greet his heart.

_'This feeling... It's back again...'_ thought Naruto.

For reasons he didn't fully understand, he felt the need to move his hands around her body. He felt the need to try to comfort her.

He began to caress Hinata's back with his right hand.

Hinata turned red at the feeling of Naruto rubbing her back. She felt his warmth and comfort swell up around her, making her feel happy and warm.

_'I... I like this feeling, but now I'm all nervous again, and I still don't know why.'_ thought Naruto.

He had his head over her right shoulder, he could see her hair draping over and down her back.

He felt another urge, he wanted to smell her hair.

He closed his eyes, moved in a little closer, and took a deep breathe.

She smelled like lavender and lilacs, and he loved the smell. It was almost intoxicating as he breathed it in deep. He paused to realize that this smell was Hinata's scent. Not just her hair, but her body's scent. He felt his heart speed up as he continued to hold the small teen in his arms.

Over the years of training, Naruto had developed into a man, and Hinata had developed into a woman. Although he didn't realize Hinata's mature form before, he most certainly did now. Hinata's figure was pressed up against him.

He began to blush.

_'Aaaahhhh... young love'_ thought Tsunade as she held her hands to her heart.

Naruto felt as though he could trust her with anything, and that he would love to be around her whenever he could. He wanted to contemplate these mixed emotions, but was interrupted by a sudden movement near the entrance of the office.

An angry Hiashi burst through the door, frightening the two apart. As Naruto moved, his knee caught on a loose floorboard, and he fell onto Hinata, accidentally pinning her to the floor.

Naruto and Hinata froze, their faces inches from each other's.

Now Hiashi froze. His daughter was lying on the floor, with Naruto in between her legs.

"OH MY GOD!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Naruto looked at the position he was in and realized what it looked like he was doing.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER


	7. Banishment?

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 7:**_

_**Banishment?:**_

_**

* * *

**_

Naruto looked at the position he was in and realized what it looked like he was doing.

"Nyah!" exclaimed Naruto.

He quickly threw himself off of the ground and to Tsunade's side.

Hinata was just as quickly on her feet, and she looked across the room to see her father.

She blushed a furious shade of red when she realized what it must have looked like they were doing.

"Father... I-I-I c-can explain!" pleaded Hinata.

"Ex... EXPLAIN!" exclaimed Hiashi incredulously.

"You both were just on the floor!" exclaimed Hiashi in disbelief.

Hinata blushed even redder, she was completely embarrassed.

Hiashi turned angrily to Naruto, and pointed at him.

"I would expect this from you!" said Hiashi, glaring at Naruto.

"But my own daughter!" exclaimed Hiashi.

He looked back to Hinata, who was nervously staring at the floor with her head bowed. She looked like she knew she had done something terribly wrong.

"This transgression against the Clan will not be tolerated, you will be severely punished." said Hiashi, closing his eyes in disappointment.

"Hey! HEY!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto stepped in front of Hinata with his arms out-stretched.

"She had nothing to do with this! If you are going to punish someone, punish me!" said Naruto.

Hinata gasped in surprise. Naruto was defending her, he was coming to her rescue, all for her. She was completely speechless.

Hiashi looked at Naruto in surprise. He was willing to take punishment in place of Hinata.

He could see that Naruto might actually care about his daughter, because he was willing to take the blame. But he had experience with boastful people like him. He knew that if Naruto actually knew of the punishment, and it was bad enough, that he would back down.

_'He doesn't really care about my daughter, he just wants to play the part of the hero. I'll simply expose him for what he really is.'_ thought Hiashi.

"You are willing to take the fall for my daughter?" asked Hiashi.

"Absolutely! None of this is her fault!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Interesting... You do know that the punishment for doing anything in a sexual manner before marriage in the Hyuuga's main branch is banishment... right?" asked Hiashi with a smirk.

Everyone but Hiashi gasped at this.

"Hiashi!" exclaimed Tsunade in surprise.

"B-b-banishment?" gasped Hinata.

"I would say banishment is a fitting punishment. Defiling the heir before marriage would usually result in the death of the offender. So intead, I am offering you two choices." said Hiashi.

Naruto was completely shocked. He didn't expect anything this drastic at all.

"One. You take all of the blame for Hinata. She is not in the least in trouble. She will not get her title of heiress stripped away from her. But as punishment, you accept banishment from Konoha." said Hiashi.

"Two. You take none of the blame for this, and let Hinata take the fall. She will be stripped of her title as heir, and will be reduced to a branch member. But as punishment, there will be none. You get of Scott-free." said Hiashi.

Everyone could only stare at Hiashi in shock.

"I will leave it up to you, it is your choice." said Hiashi.

Hiashi crossed his arms, and began waiting for Naruto to make a decision.

Hinata was wide-eyed, staring at Naruto.

_'I won't let him take the blame! He doesn't deserve this! I will take the fall, I have to!'_ thought Hinata.

She was going to make the decision for him, but she didn't get very far, as Naruto held out a hand to signal her to stop.

The mere movement held her still in surprise.

"Banishment from Konoha?" asked Naruto, his eyes watering up..

"That is correct." said Hiashi, watching the boy intently.

"If that is the price I must pay to save Hinata, then so be it." said Naruto bravely.

"Na... Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

Hinata was completely floored. He was willing to give uyp everything for her. She could feel the tears flow involuntarily from her eyes.

She was overwhelmed that Naruto would give up everything he worked for. His ninja rank, his home, and his friends, just so she would remain out of trouble.

Hiashi, Hinata, and Tsunade all stood in shock at what Naruto said.

Hiashi pushed his shock aside to think.

_'This could all be just a one-shot deal, and he probably put all of his courage into one declaration, and if he were to re-think it, I bet he would back out.'_ thought Hiashi.

"You are willing to be banished in place of Hinata then? You will never be able to return to Konaha, and you will be stripped of your rank as a chunnin in this village. Are you sure this is what you want?" asked Hiashi.

Naruto looked straight into Hiashi's eyes and he felt the tears trying to escape his eyes.

"If that is the price, I will pay it." said Naruto quietly.

He took off his Hitai-aite and tossed it to Hiashi.

Hiashi caught it in surprise, almost dropping it.

They were all stunned that Naruto was willing to go through with it. He walked past Hiashi towards the Hokage's door.

"I care for Hinata-chan, and if I let her take the fall, everything she's ever worked for in her clan will be undone. I can't let something like that happen." said Naruto quietly, his hand against the door.

"Na... Naruto..." said Hinata in shock.

"Hinata is an amazing ninja, and an even better friend." said Naruto, slightly opening the door.

"She deserves a good and happy life." affirmed Naruto as he turned to Tsunade.

"I will miss you Baa-Chan." said Naruto shakily.

He felt himself breaking down, but kept pushing himself to retain his posture and composure.

"I will miss everyone, so please, tell everyone I know goodbye, and that they were the best friends I could ever hope to have." said Naruto quietly.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Tsunade, still shocked in place.

"Have a good life Hinata." said Naruto.

The tears finally escaped his eyes, rolling down his cheeks to drip onto the floor.

"I will miss you the most." said Naruto.

What Naruto was doing for Hinata, was the biggest declaration of affection, or anything for that matter, that she had ever gotten. She didn't want him to leave, she didn't want him to suffer, she wanted him to be happy. She had to do something, or Naruto would be banished, and she would never see him again.

Hinata was shaking, her eyes shut tight and tears poured out of them. She was barely standing, she couldn't take this. This was horrible.

Just the thought of such a thing happening to Naruto gave Hinata enough courage to stand up for him. Suddenly Hinata's gears were running at full. Her mind was done thinking, and her body acted.

"NO!" shouted Hinata.

She ran forward and wrapped her arms tightly around Naruto, preventing him from leaving.

"No Naruto! You can't do this! I won't let you!" shouted Hinata in tears.

Naruto was shocked all over again. He didn't have time to react.

"I'll take the fall! I WILL! I won't let you ruin your life, just because of me! I care about you too much! Don't leave!" shouted Hinata.

Naruto's eyes widened, his whole body froze, comprehending what she said.

"Hinata... I'm sorry. But it's my choice. I can't let this happen to you." said Naruto sadly.

More tears flooded to Hinata's eyes, and she tightened her grip.

She looked like she was trying to say something, but her she kept choking on her tears.

Hiashi couldn't take this anymore. Seeing his daughter cry had really gripped his heart.

"Wait... Naruto..." said Hiashi.

When Hiashi said this, he sounded almost emotional.

A look in Hiashi's face told Naruto that he had something important to say to him.

"The fact that you are willing to give up everything, just to keep my daughter happy, is enough for me..." began Hiashi.

Naruto and Hinata looked at Hiashi in suspense.

"To lift the punishment all-together." finished Hiashi.

"Neither of you have to be punished at all. You are both free to go." said Hiashi.

Naruto stood completely still, and felt a wave of relief sweep over him. He didn't have to leave his home, his friends, or his life. And to top it all off, Hinata wouldn't be punished at all.

_'Hinata...'_ thought Naruto as he fell to his knees, bringing Hinata with him.

All of these emotions came flooding back to him too quickly. Happiness, relief, joy, comfort, and confusion, but one emotion stood out from the rest. It was the one emotion that he did not understand, but it was the strongest of his emotions.

Hinata was in his arms, the same look of relief on her face. The overwhelming happiness. The warmth from the care they had for each other.

These combined emotions overwhelmed his mind causing him to pass out.

Hinata felt so happy. All of the relief, the happiness, and the closure. She felt Naruto's body close to her's, it was enough to make her world turn black.

_'Naruto...'_ thought Hinata as she slipped into unconsciousness.

They both fell over at the same time, completely mentally wiped out.

Hiashi stood there in amazement for a moment, but collected himself.

_'I can't believe he went so far... I really underestimated him. I will still have to watch him very closely, but for now, I will give them both a free pass.'_ thought Hiashi.

Hiashi turned to leave, but stopped when Tsunade abruptly stood up from her desk, and slammed her hands on the surface.

"Hiashi!" shouted Tsunade.

Hiashi turned back around, and looked at her.

Tsunade did not look happy with him at all.

"What you did was despicable!" exclaimed Tsunade, not letting her anger get the better of her.

Hiashi blinked in fake-surprise.

"I do not know what you are talking about." said Hiashi.

"Hiashi don't lie to me! You and I both know, that there is no such punishment like that in the Hyuuga clan for something so mild! And besides, it was just an accident anyways." said Tsunade sternly.

"Accident?" asked Hiashi curiously.

"Yes. Hinata thought Naruto was guilty of your previous sexual harassment accusations, and hated him for it. She told him off, and really upset him, but Naruto left Hinata with the truth." said Tsunade with a smirk.

"The truth?" asked Hiashi.

"Yes, the tape for the restraining order meeting." said Tsunade with a smirk.

Hiashi's look suddenly changed to worried. He feared that his daughter had heard the whole tape.

"Don't worry, I cut some parts out." said Tsunade assuringly.

Hiashi only nodded in response.

"But anyways, Hinata came rushing in here after hearing the tape, and she apologized quite emotionally. They even forgave each other with a hug." said Tsunade.

She looked at the two teens that still laid unconscious on the floor.

"As they were hugging, _you_ barged in and scared them apart." continued Tsunade.

"But when Naruto tried to stand up, his knee got caught on a floorboard, and he accidently knocked Hinata over and they fell into an innappropriate posture." said Tsunade.

Hiashi didn't know what to say to that, but none the less, he gave Tsunade a look of disbelief.

He then looked back and forth from Naruto to Hinata. Seeing their current stressed-out-beyond-belief states, decided that he should leave them be and take her word for it.

He nodded, and turned to open the door, but he stopped when he heard Tsunade's voice once more.

"You put these two through a lot just now. I happen to know for a fact that they already have enough problems to deal with. I suggest going easy on Naruto or Hinata the next time if you have a choice." said Tsunade.

Hiashi didn't respond, and simply left.

Tsunade was left with Naruto and Hinata, both unconscious on the floor.

_'They are both rather cute together...'_ thought Tsunade.

Seeing them together in her office reminded her that they were supposed to be on a mission soon.

Tsunade sighed and decided that it was time that she called for a gathering before the mission.

_'Naruto's emotions are swaying too wildly with Hinata around...'_ thought Tsunade as she smiled at the two.

_'And with the Kyuubi's powers in Naruto, the combination of the two could be disastrous.'_ thought Tsunade as she picked up the phone, dialing in a few numbers.

She waited for a moment before hearing the other line pick up.

"Gai?" asked Tsunade.

"Yeeeeeessssss?" asked the over-enthusiastic Jounin.

"(Sigh) I need your team to go on the relocation mission with Team 8 and Team 7." said Tsunade.

She waited for the over-enthusiastically loud response she was expecting.

A few seconds went by and none came, but suddenly, the door to her office burst open.

"TEAM GAI!" shouted Gai as he skidded to a stop.

He had Ten Ten under one arm, and Neji under another. Lee was not-so-surprisingly standing right at his side.

Tsunade sat there in shock at the sight in front of her.

Suddenly Neji jumped out from under Gai's arm and ripped off Ten Ten's shirt.

"Ahhhhh!" screamed Ten Ten, instinctively covering herself.

"What was that for?" exclaimed Ten Ten, blushing a furious red.

But when she got a look at him, she immediately realized what it was for.

Neji was completely naked, and was using her shirt as a kind of kilt to cover himself.

Ten Ten stood stunned at the mostly naked Hyuuga boy in front of her. Her face flushed even more red, so she quickly looked away in embarrassment.

"GAI! God damn it!" shouted Neji in rage.

"What? A ninja has to be aware, and ready at all times!" defended Gai as he crossed his arms.

"I was taking a bath!" exclaimed Neji as he turned to storm out.

As he turned, he accidentally stepped on his make-shift kilt, and fell into Ten Ten.

He knocked them both over onto the ground, and Ten Ten awkwardly tried to brace herself from hitting the ground.

She put her hands out behind her back to cushion the fall, but she realized after she fell, that this was a big mistake.

Neji was nearly naked on top of her, and she wasn't wearing a shirt. Neji had her pinned to the ground, their noses inches away.

_'Accidental sexual poses seems to be a recurring theme.'_ thought Tsunade in amusement.

As she thought this, she smiled and snuck across the room while everyone was looking at Neji and TenTen.

They all suddenly heard a click and saw a flash.

They looked over to see Tsunade with a camera aimed at them, and she was smiling mischievously.

She had not only gotten a picture of just Neji and Ten Ten, but she had gotten Naruto and Hinata in the shot as well.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Lee.

"What is Hinata doing to Naruto's pants zipper?" asked Lee.

The mentioning of Hinata, got Neji's mind back into gear, and he finally realized what kind of position he and Ten Ten were in.

Neji quickly jumped off of Ten Ten, and stood up. But he almost jumped again when he saw what position his cousin was in.

"H-Hinata!" exclaimed Neji incredulously.

Hinata's face was pressed directly against Naruto's crotch.

"Eeee!" shreaked Ten Ten.

Everyone looked at Ten Ten to find that she was using both of her arms to cover her chest.

Ten Ten realized that when she was knocked down, her bra must have fell off.

Gai only stood there, shocked to see all of this happening.

Ten Ten was looking for her bra while covering herself, Hinata looked like she was sucking crotch, and Tsunade was rolling around on the ground laughing.

"What's so funny?" asked a voice.

They all looked to see that Naruto had woken up.

They all stopped moving, and held their breaths.

"What's everyone staring at?" asked Naruto.

Tsunade suddenly burst out laughing, Team 8 blushed, and Tsunade started snapping more pictures.

"What?" demanded Naruto again.

He suddenly realized that there was a heavy pressure on his crotch.

He looked down and froze in place, staring at Hinata.

Then the worst possible thing that could have happened, did.

Hinata had partially woken up.

She moaned slightly and stretched.

To Hinata, it was just a tired moan, but to everyone else, it sounded more sexual than anything.

They held their breaths to see what would happen next, but they were all surprised by an even worse thing that shouldn't have happened.

Hiashi came walking casually through the door, looking down at some papers in his hands.

Even Tsunade stopped what she was doing. She just wanted to have a bit of fun, but Hiashi walking in, was definitely not something that she wanted to happen.

"Tsunade, I just wanted to say that I was sorry for..." began Hiashi.

He stopped in mid-step by the door when he saw what was in Tsuande's office.

He first saw that Ten Ten had no shirt on, and her bra had misplaced itself.

Ten Ten saw him looking at her, and she frantically hid behind Tsunade.

"Gah! Where is it!" exclaimed Ten Ten as she turned even more red.

Realizing what she was looking for, Naruto spoke up.

"It's um... It's on Neji's head." said Naruto, pointing at Neji.

Neji then felt the top of his head and pulled off a pink lacy bra.

He saw it and blushed immediately. Without looking at her directly, he handed it to Ten Ten.

Ten Ten immediately hid behind Tsunade to put it back on.

Hiashi was now in complete shock as he saw the state of Neji, and figured out where Ten Ten's shirt had gone. He was about to yell at Neji about indecency, and the clan's marriage traditions. But then remembered the familiar voice that told Neji where the Ten Ten's bra was.

He slowly looked over at Naruto to see him in a kind of shock as he moved his hands against the wall trying to get out from under Hinata.

"OH MY GOD! HINATA!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Hinata then woke with a start, and looked up to see Naruto, noticing her mouth was just on his pants crotch.

(Bleahk!)

Blood came out of Hinata 's nose, and she flew onto her back and laid still, completely red in the face.

Naruto stood up and looked towards Hiashi and back towards Hinata, then saw that his pants were un-zipped.

He blushed and zipped up his fly, then noticed Tsunade holding a camera.

"You did this didn't you!" accused Naruto in annoyance.

"Guilty." said Tsunade with a cocky smile.

She held up her camera for everyone to see.

"Couldn't resist" said Tsunade waving the camera back-and-forth.

"You... you took pictures!" exclaimed Naruto.

Tsunade smiled and then made a few hand signs.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" said Tsunade while slammig her hand into the desk.

A small black shoe box appeared on her desk. She then quickly put the camera into the box and poked the box's side, making it disappear in a poof of smoke.

Hiashi glared around the room, and then finally laid his eyes on Naruto.

"So... this was not your doing?" asked Hiashi angrily.

"NO!" said Naruto defensively.

"I respect Hinata, and would never do anything without her proper consent." said Naruto, as though he had been made to say it before.

He looked over to Hinata and then back to Hiashi.

"Hinata is my best friend, and I would never do anything that would ruin our relationship." finished Naruto.

"Relationship?" asked Gai while giving him an almost perverted smile.

"Yes. As friends." confirmed Naruto while walking over to Hinata.

Naruto picked her up bridal style, and took out a handkerchief from his pocket. He began to wipe the blood out from under her nose, being delicate as he did it.

Hiashi lifted up his arms in protest, and was about to tell him put down his daughter. But he stopped himself when he saw the look on Naruto's face.

Naruto was looking into her face caringly, and with that caring look, came feeling of trust towards Naruto.

Hiashi lowered his arms when he recognized the look on Naruto's face. It was a face that he saw every day.

Every day that Hiashi got up from bed, he would see his wedding picture on his nightstand, and would see himself with that look his face, the look of love.

Hiashi then crossed his arms and smirked.

Everyone was surprised at this, and Tsunade even gave him a loook of surprise.

He was skeptical that it was love, but he could see that he cared none-the-less.

"Alright then Naruto, I understand" said Hiashi while looking at Naruto.

"But sexually, I want you to stay away from my daughter... Understand?"

Naruto was about to complain that Hiashi did not understand their relationship as friends, but decided that Hiashi had a right to feel this way, especially after what happened between them.

"Understood." affirmed Naruto, looking back down at Hinata.

"As for you Neji..." began Hiashi, but stopped once he got a good look at him.

He was wearing a lime green jump suit with orange leg warmers.

"If anyone says anything, I swear to god..." said Neji, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

Everyone looked from Neji, to Gai, to Lee, to see that they were all basically wearing the same thing.

Naruto, Ten Ten, and Tsunade all looked as though they were about to burst out laughing.

"What?" asked Lee looking confused.

"Where... (Ahem)... where did you get that... _outfit_ anyway?" asked Hiashi incredulously.

"Oh that, I always keep a spare with me." said Lee giving Neji a thumbs up.

Neji groaned and walked over to stand next to Ten Ten and Tsunade. At least so that he wouldn't be standing next to Lee or Gai.

There was an awkward pause when Ten Ten's gaze met Neji's. It would be hard for it not to be awkward, especially after what just happened.

After a moment, Neji leaned in close to Ten Ten.

"Do I look that ridiculous?" asked Neji

Ten Ten blushed for a moment before saying anything.

"Yes... But I like you anyway." said Ten Ten assuringly.

She was blushing because he was close to her, and because she didn't have a shirt on.

Neji saw her blush and looked at her to realize she was missing an article of clothing.

"Oh." said Neji.

He reached down into the waist area of his jumpsuit to retrieve Ten Ten's shirt. He pulled it out of the collar of the jumpsuit and handed it to her while blushing.

"Here." said Neji.

He moved in closer to give her the shirt. As Ten Ten put on the shirt she realized that Neji had not moved back, but stayed closer to her. She blushed when she realized this, but blushed even more when she realized that Neji was watching her the whole time she had no shirt on.

He was still looking at her with rapt attention, as though he was learning something new in school. Neji was studying her figure, as though he had never seen it before.

TenTen wanted to say something, but couldn't. She had felt amorously towards Neji for a long time, and now that he was finally giving her attention, it felt good.

All the time they were teammates, Neji looked at her as a team-mate, not a possibility as a mate.

Now that he had seen her without her shirt or bra, he noticed that she actually had a very nice figure.

As he looked around her figure, he stopped and looked at her butt. He became fixated on it, almost wondering where it had been hiding all these years.

Hiashi saw this and sighed to himself.

_'Is every child I raise going to be a pervert?'_ thought Hiashi as he put his hand to his forehead.

He looked as though he was laboring a headache.

_'Hopefully Hanabi will turn out better.'_ thought Hiashi refering to his younger daughter.

Suddenly Kiba came bursting through the door, looking really agitated.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER


	8. More Distractions

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

**Chapter 8:**

**More Distractions...**

**

* * *

**

Suddenly Kiba came bursting through the door, and he was looking really agitated.

"Man! Do you guys have any idea what kind of day I've been having?"asked Kiba as he walked in.

He stopped to see Naruto holding Hinata who was unconscious, Neji who was wearing Lee's jumpsuit, and Hinata and TenTen who were both still blushing.

"..."

"What's going oooooon..." asked Kiba while smirking at the turnout.

"If they don't want to tell you, they don't have to." said Shino, walking in behind him.

"Tch. Fine." said Kiba in disappointment.

He didn't give it any thought the first time, but he now suddenly realized that Naruto was holding Hinata.

"Hey! Get your filthy hands off of her!" demanded Kiba.

Naruto gave him a surprised look followed up by an angry one.

"You have no right to be touching Hinata, or ever being around her ever again!" continued Kiba.

"You are a disgusting, foul, pretentious, perverted freak, and..." began Kiba.

Suddenly a blur of indigo hair, and a pair of furious Lavender eyes were staring him down.

"What'd you say?" shouted Hinata angrily.

"I-b-but-what?" stammered Kiba as he stood there confused.

"IF YOU, OR ANYONE ELSE SAYS ANYTHING BAD ABOUT MY NARUTO, I WILL PERSONALLY SEE TO IT THAT THEY GET A ONE-WAY TICKET TO HELL!" screamed Hinata, almost losing her voice.

Naruto, Kiba, and everyone else stood there in shock, as the normally quiet Hyuuga girl stood up to Kiba, and anyone else dumb enough to get in her way.

Naruto looked down into his arms, and wondered how Hinata had jumped so quickly out of his hands.

"H-Hinata?" stammered Naruto feebly.

Hinata looked back to Naruto, and realized that she had screamed all of that in front of Naruto, the Hokage, her friends, and even her father.

She immediately slapped both of her hands over her mouth.

She wanted to say something, but she was so embarrassed, she didn't know what to do or say.

Everyone was just staring at her.

She blushed even more when she saw that her father stood right next to her, and was also in a state of shock.

She then turned back to Naruto and blushed as red as she could go and then some. She looked as though she was glowing from the redness of her skin.

"How... how long have you been awake?" asked Naruto.

Hinata completely froze up.

"Well, answer the nice boy's question." said Gai.

Gai pointed at Naruto who was still waiting for an answer.

Hinata made eye contact with Naruto and almost fainted, but she held herself up.

"Long enough..." muttered Hinata quietly.

She was glad that she at least got something out.

"..."

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds, and as these seconds went by, Kakashi and Sakura walked in.

"Hello everyone, I..." said Kakashi as he stopped in mid-step, holding out a hand to stop Sakura.

"What is it Kakashi sensei?" asked Sakura as she looked over his arm.

_'Neji in Lee's clothes. Everyone blushing. Blatant sexual tension...'_ thought Sakura.

She froze for a moment, turned around, and left.

"..."

"I'll expect a full update from you Tsunade... after we take care of... whatever just happened here..." said Kakashi.

Kakashi looked over to Gai, and their eyes met.

There was a small pause, both of them trying to read the other.

"Gai... Did someone just have sex in here?" asked Kakashi.

Everyone's face turned a little more red, even Tsunade's face.

"Because that's what it seriously feels like. Either that, or someone got naked... and there was possibly a sexual innuendo involving a... blowjob?" asked Kakashi.

Gai was froze in disbelief.

"N-No! I mean, no. Don't be ridiculous! This is the Hokage's office! Nothing like that would ever happen here!" laughed Tsunade nervously.

"..."

Kakashi turned back around to follow after Sakura.

"Well alright... if you say so... We'll meet you at the gate..." said Kakashi in a suspicious manner.

Kakashi closed the door behind him when he left.

A few seconds later, the door opened a crack.

Kakashi peeked in for a moment, paused, then finally left.

"..."

After Kakashi was actually gone, Hiashi had put his head straight. He knew what he had to do.

"Tsunade, I demand that you give me that camera. The pictures on it will smudge the Hyuuga name indefinitely." said Hiashi seriously.

Tsunade only smirked in response.

"I will never give you these photos. They are too damn funny." said Tsunade, still giggling to herself slightly.

"P-Pictures?" asked Hinata.

Everyone froze when Hinata spoke.

Hinata was a person that they all didn't want to upset. She was so sweet and kind all of the time. No one wanted to be the one to tell her about the pictures.

"Tsunade took pictures..." said Lee finally.

"..."

Hinata examined Lee for a moment. Like everyone else in the room, he was blushing.

"Pictures of what?" asked Hinata.

"..."

"(Sigh) Hinata, she took pictures of us when we were unconscious..." said Naruto, blushing and looking at the floor.

"Unconscious?" asked Hinata.

She thought about it for a moment, and instantly remembered how she woke up.

Hinata blushed a brilliant red a quickly turned to Tsunade.

"You... you wouldn't show anyone those pictures... w-would you?" pleaded Hinata, as she looked on hopefully to Tsunade.

"Sorry sweety, I can't promise anything... There's no telling what I'll do after I've had a few." said Tsunade with a smirk.

Hinata's eyes widened in shock.

_'Oh no! If anyone sees those pictures, I'll just die!'_ thought Hinata in worry.

Naruto saw the instant worry in Hinata's eyes, and it made him feel sorry and angry at the same time.

Naruto clenched his fists.

"Tsunade, if you reveal those pictures to anyone, I'll make you pay." said Naruto seriously.

He stepped up in front of Hinata, trying to defend her reputation.

Tsunade gave the boy a incredulous glare as she wondered how the boy could make a threat to the Hokage, without even flinching.

"I agree with Naruto, so make that two threats to worry about." said Neji, glancing over at Ten Ten as they both blushed.

Neji's threat would have been more intimidating, but his vision accidentally caught sight of Ten Ten's butt again, and he blatantly stared at it.

"Oh for God sake..." mumbled Hiashi, putting his hand back up to his forehead..

"If my children are perverts then what does that make me?" said Hiashi quietly.

"A pervert." said a voice.

Hiashi turned in surprise to see a complete stranger standing in the doorway.

He wore a black T-shirt, jeans, sunglasses, and a baseball cap. He had brown curly hair stuffed under his hat, and bore a Hitai-Aite on the top of his right hand. He wasn't really dressed like a Shinobi, but he could tell he was one.

Of all the things Hiashi noticed, he immediately recognized a vivid orange book in this person's hands.

"You're one to talk!" exclaimed Hiashi, pointing at the book.

"I am one to talk. I talk all of the time. You probably do too. What a strange thing to point out." said the man.

"..."

"Tsunade, the papers you requested will be left in the usual file." said the man very quickly.

"Hm? Oh, yeah yeah. Thanks." said Tsunade off-handedly.

The man nodded, and quickly left.

"...Who was that?" asked Hiashi.

"Oh just some new guy, name starts with a T or something... I can't remember." muttered Tsunade.

"..."

A silence came over everyone. It was almost like everyone forgot why they were there, or what they were just doing. Whoever that person was, he was extremely disruptive.

"..."

"So Kiba, you said that you were having the craziest day, what was that all about?" asked Lee curiously, breaking the silence.

"Oh God! You wouldn't believe it!" exclaimed Kiba as he put his hand to his head.

"First I got, like, mauled by this giant spider for like, five minutes this morning!" exclaimed Kiba.

"Then I told Perv boy off." said Kiba, glaring at Naruto.

Hinata then gave him a look that could have killed on contact.

"It was all a misunderstanding" said the Hokage as she pointed at the two.

"And I daresay, they have quite made up." added Gai while smiling.

"Or made out!" exclaimed Tsunade while giggling to herself.

Everyone ignored this, except Hinata and Naruto who were looking away from each other and blushing.

Hiashi sighed again while Kiba continued.

"Whatever. As long a Hinata is okay with it. As I was saying, I was In a bar enjoying a drink, when that spider came bounding in and jumped on my face again!" said Kiba.

"That same spider from before?" asked Shino.

"The exact same spider from before!" exclaimed Kiba.

"Then after about a half hour of getting mauled, I stumbled towards the Hokage tower to see if Tsunade could help." said Kiba.

"As I got near the building, I thought I was almost in the clear. But then out of like, no where, this guy comes flying through an upper story window, and knocks me unconscious!" exclaimed Kiba.

Hinata blushed as she recalled telling a guy to "bite me", then knocking him through a window. Then she remembered the moment she had with Naruto shortly after.

She surprised herself by stepping slightly closer to him, and as a result started to glow red.

Nobody noticed this, and Kiba continued his story.

"Anyway, after I got up again, I found that the spider had left, and that I was free to do whatever. But then I got a call to this meeting, so I started to head into the building." said Kiba.

But before I could make it inside, this stupid box appeared like, out of nowhere, and hit me in the head! said Kiba, pulling out a very familiar black box.

Everyone stood completely still and stared at the box. No one was moving at all, and they were all giving the box thier undivided attention.

"Uh... What are you all looking at..." Kiba asked as he backed up a step.

When Kiba took a step back, everyone took a step forward.

The tension was palpable.

"Hey... What's going on? This isn't funny!" exclaimed Kiba.

Suddenly everyone jumped at Kiba, and by instinct alone, he held onto the box and jumped out through the nearest window.

"Ah!" exclaimed Kiba.

Everyone looked down at Kiba through the window, to see that Kiba had used the wall to slow his decent, and had landed safely on the ground.

He quickly jumped on Akamaru, who had been patiently waiting for him.

"GO Akamaru GO!" screamed Kiba desperately.

Akamaru freaked out in response, and burned out before taking off at a quick pace.

Everyone watched Kiba and Akamaru run off into the distance through the windows of Tsunade's office.

Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand, and jumped through the same window Kiba did. Hinata blushed at this contact, but had to pay attention to other things as they plummeted to their death. On the way down Naruto threw Hinata on his back, and she clutched onto him piggy-back style as they went to land.

"Oh my God! They'll die from this height!" exclaimed Tsunade.

She scrambled to jump after them, but it was too late.

Naruto slammed into the ground, creating a crater in the ground 6 feet in diameter.

Everyone was astonished, even Hinata, who had almost passed out from the adrenaline rush of almost dying.

Before anyone could say anything, Naruto jumped out of the crater, and began running after Kiba.

"Get back here Mutt-boy!" shouted Naruto.

Even Tsunade stared at Naruto with disbelief as he ran out of sight.

"W-what incredible strength!" exclaimed Hiashi.

They watched Naruto round a corner, out of sight.

A few seconds passed with everyone standing still.

"Well what are we waiting for an invitation!" exclaimed Gai and Lee simultaneously.

They both jumped out the window and ran down the side of the tower, using chakra control to keep themselves on the wall.

Everyone else looked at each other and nodded. They all began following Gai and Lee.

They all had their reasons for catching up to Kiba now.

Neji and Ten Ten could be blackmailed or embarrassed to death.

Gai and Lee wanted to help Neji and Ten Ten.

Shino wanted to make sure Hinata and Kiba were okay.

Hiashi wanted to protect his daughter's, and his clan's reputation.

Naruto wanted to protect Hinata's reputation.

Hinata wanted the pictures burnt, or hidden in her room.

Tsunade wanted her camera and hilarious pictures back.

* * *

At the Village North Gates, Kiba ran up and skidded to a stop, knowing that he must have lost them by now.

They had traveled the length of half the village. He was fairly confident that he had lost them.

"Phew! That was a close one Akamaru!" exclaimed Kiba in relief.

He jumped off of Akamaru, and began petting him.

"Roof?" asked Akamaru incredulously.

"I don't know! They all just suddenly jumped at me!" exclaimed Kiba in defense.

"Who jumped at you?" asked Sakura.

Kiba turned around to see Kakashi and Sakura leaning against the village gates.

He didn't know whether to trust them or not, especially after everyone randomly turned on him.

Kakashi noticed Kiba's nervousness, and stood up.

"Kakashi?" asked Sakura quietly.

"Kiba. Is something wrong?" asked Kakashi suspiciously.

Kakashi took a step forward, his demeanor was serious.

Kiba cautiously took a step back in response.

"Kiba. What did you do?" asked Kakashi seriously.

Kiba didn't know what to do, but his instincts told him to run.

"KIBA!" shouted Naruto.

Kiba looked to see Naruto with Hinata in tow, running quickly in his direction.

"Oh come on!" exclaimed Kiba in exasperation.

He quickly jumped back on Akamaru, ready to run away again.

Naruto came to a stop next to Kiba, trying to make it clear that he wasn't going to attack him.

"No wait! We just want the box!" said Naruto.

Kiba almost ran again, but stopped when he heard him say something about a box.

Kiba reached into his jacket, and pulled out the small black box.

"Oh... That's all?" exclaimed Kiba.

Kiba looked at the box in his hands.

"I thought I did something wrong or... something." said Kiba as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah. That box contains blackmail against Hinata and Neji." said Naruto as he took the box from Kiba.

"Neji, I don't really care about, but Hinata?" exclaimed Kiba.

"Hinata! What did you do!" exclaimed Kiba, as he stared at her with disbelief.

Hinata blushed and dug her face into the back of Naruto's head so that she could hide her embarrassment in his hair.

Naruto blushed. She was so close, he felt her breathe down his neck. He liked it. It made shivers run down his spine, but it also made him feel comfortable and warm.

Naruto was contemplating this, but was interrupted by the sound of a familiar swarm of shinobi heading his way.

Naruto hiked Hinata farther up onto his back and received an "Eeep!" from her, before looking at Kiba.

"No time to explain further. Just tell Neji that I will be sure that this ends up in the right hands." said Naruto as he tucked the box under his arm.

Naruto had never tried the flash step with more than himself, and wasn't willing to try it now.

Naruto ran behind Akamaru, and ducked down so that he was out of sight and formed a few hand signs.

**"Yokoana no jutsu."**(Tunnel no jutsu) whispered Naruto as he turned his head to Hinata.

"Hold your breath for a bit okay?" said Naruto.

She nodded and held onto Naruto tightly.

He blushed at the closer contact, but kept his head in the game.

He moved his body to the ground, the dirt and soil parting for him on command. It was like he was phasing through the dirt itself. Naruto and Hinata fully disappeared into the ground, not leaving any noticeable traces.

Kiba paused, and looked at the ground where they had disappeared for a moment.

_'I really hope that I can trust you Naruto... But if Hinata trusts you, then I don't really seem to have a choice.'_ thought Kiba.

Kiba was brought out of his thoughts by the sounds of the approaching Shinobi group.

Tsunade was the first to arrive, skidding to a halt in a cloud of dust.

She stopped right next to Kiba, and stared expectantly at him.

"Where is it?" demanded Tsunade as she held out her hand.

Everyone else skidded to a halt behind her.

Hiashi stepped up beside Tsunade.

"Yes, where is the box? Do the right thing and give it to me." said Hiashi angrily as he too held out his hand.

Kiba looked at everyone from on top of Akamaru, and decided to ignore them.

_'If Hinata says that she trusts Naruto again... Then I'll have to trust his word, for now.'_ thought Kiba.

"Neji." said Kiba.

Neji was comforting TenTen, who was freaking out. She was scared what her parents would do if they saw those pictures.

'I had no top on! I even lost my bra! How could I have let that happen!' thought Ten Ten.

She didn't blame Neji for what he did. He ripped off her shirt because he was completely naked. It was completely justifiable at that point. And when he tripped and knocked her over, it was just an accident. Now, she was only afraid of being embarrassed, blackmailed, or shunned by her parents.

Neji looked up at Kiba angrily, thinking that he still had he box.

Before Neji could say anything, Kiba spoke up.

"I gave Naruto the box. He told me to tell you that he would make sure that it fell into the right hands." said Kiba.

Kiba jumped off of Akamaru, and walked up to Shino casually. He began to start up a conversation with him. Kiba was acting as though everyone wasn't staring at him.

_'Naruto has it? Well, I doubt Naruto would be stupid enough to incriminate himself.'_ thought Hiashi.

Neji, Ten Ten, Gai, and Lee all gave looks of relief knowing that Naruto would keep the information safe.

Tsunade looked miffed that she would probably never see those funny pictures again, but her look suddenly changed as she whistled to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, listen up!" said Tsunade with authority.

Everyone stopped talking and gave her their attention, except for Neji who was occupied with Ten Ten's rear.

_'Oh for God sake...'_ thought Hiashi as he looked on at his nephew.

_'Keep it in your pants' _thought Hiashi_._

"The mission will start in 5 minutes, and we have two AWOL ninja, that need to be present." said Tsunade.

She stopped to let this sink in, and she saw faces of realization from the Jounin. They knew where this was going.

"And you need us to get them back here in that time span." confirmed Kakashi as he turned to Sakura.

"I need you to tell me where Naruto usually goes." said Kakashi as he put his hand on her shoulder.

Sakura nodded.

She revealed the usual places where he would go as everyone listened in with rapt attention, because many of them didn't know what Naruto did besides train, eat, or sleep.

"Well, Naruto doesn't go to his home unless he needs to. He likes to go to quiet places to sit and think. He goes to the base overlook point at the Hokage monument. He goes into the woods near the Hokage monument. He goes to Ichiraku's sometimes, even if he isn't hungry. He goes to my room balcony. And he goes to the Hyuuga Compound." said Sakura.

"N-Naruto goes to my home?" exclaimed Hiashi in disbelief.

"Yeah. It is the only place he could go without anyone expecting him of making out with Hinata." said Sakura as she nodded her head with her eyes closed, as though she were thinking it over.

"W-WHAT?" shouted Hiashi ..

Everyone looked at her with disbelief.

But Neji didn't even seem to notice she was talking, since he was so occupied with Ten Ten's butt.

Hiashi suddenly turned to Neji.

"Would you quit it!" screamed Hiashi at Neji.

Neji jumped as though he had been shocked by a cattle prog.

Then Hiashi looked back at Sakura and she looked back at him with a smile.

"HA! just kidding!" said Sakura.

"Nice." said Kakashi as he gave her a high-five.

Hiashi fell back onto the floor holding onto his chest.

"Oh thank the Gods..." said Hiashi as he collected himself.

Tsunade smiled at Sakura, but decided that they had better get back on track.

"So you're saying that Naruto doesn't actually hang around Hiashi's backyard on a regular basis?" asked Tsunade.

"No he does, I was just kidding about him and Hinata making out. I saw how concerned Hiashi was about Naruto being around Hinata, so I thought I'd pull a fast one." said Sakura.

Hiashi stood up and walked calmly over to her and began to examine her posture to look for any hints of lying.

"Are you telling the truth this time, or are you... how do you kids say... messing with me?" asked Hiashi while crossing his arms.

"No I'm not messing with you. he really goes there frequently." said Sakura seriously.

"I tried following him once or twice, but the Hyuuga compound is too big and well guarded. I couldn't follow him past the gates. All I know, is that he goes into the gardens in the back." said Sakura.

Hiashi nodded and thought it over.

_'Why would that boy be coming to my yard so often?'_ thought Hiashi as he looked at the ground questioningly.

_'He would have no reason unless...'_ thought Hiashi as he took out a scroll from his pocket.

Tsunade recognized the scroll's container, it was a container used only for the most important documents. Making such a powerful container took a lot of power. The contents of the container were no doubt extremely important.

"What are you doing?" asked Tsunade.

Hiashi bit his thumb.

"A measure I took in case the Kyuubi was ever to rear it's angry head." replied Hiashi.

He began to draw a pattern on the scroll with his blood.

* * *

At the Hot springs, men and woman alike could enjoy their own sections of the springs. The hot water of the springs was calming and relaxing. A real tension melter. That is why it remained such a popular spot for such a long time.

The hot springs were located on the upper west side of Konoha. For normal people, it was quite a trek to walk up all of the trails to get up to the springs. But for Shinobi, it was as easy as getting to any other place in Konoha.

Naruto and Hinata popped out of the ground, and Naruto began to wipe the dirt from his eyes.

Hinata shook her head to get any remaining dirt out of her hair.

Hinata got a look of her surroundings, and froze.

"Naruto, w-what are we d-doing here?" stuttered Hinata as she hugged him a bit tighter.

Naruto felt himself blush from the contact, but ignored the fuzzy feeling.

"There's a guy I know that hangs around here, and I feel that I can trust him with this box." said Naruto as he finished getting dirt from his eyes.

"Y-you won't f-find m-m-many g-guys h-here." stuttered Hinata as she poked him in the right shoulder.

"Huh? Why not?" asked Naruto as he turned to the right.

He stood shocked in place to see many many angry women in bathrobes, all giving him looks of surprise, or looks of anger.

"B-because this is the w-womens h-hot springs" stuttered Hinata again.

The women covered themselves quickly, and some closed in on him.

"Aaah!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto quickly sprinted for the door.

"S-Sorry! I-it was an accident!" apologized Hinata as they left.

"..."

"Was that Hinata Hyuuga?" asked one of the woman.

Naruto made it out of the woman's hot springs, and immediately turned left.

He almost literally ran into the man he was looking for.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER


	9. Preparations

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

**Chapter 9:**

**Preparations…**

**

* * *

**

He ran out and immediately turned left to find the man he was looking for.

"Hey! Ero-Sennin!" said Naruto as he waved happily.

_'Ero? Sennin?' _thought Hinata.

Jiraiya looked up to see his favorite student.

"Hey Naruto!" said Jiraiya happily.

"Hey Sensei, I need you to hold onto this for me. I trust you to keep it safe, to keep it from everyone, and to not look at its contents yourself. Can I trust you with this?" asked Naruto seriously.

_'Naruto's sensei? He must be the one who accompanied him on his two and a half year journey!'_ thought Hinata.

Jiraiya nodded and held out his hand.

"Of course." said Jiraiya.

Naruto took out Tsunade's black box, and gave it to Jiraiya. Jiraiya studied it for a second before tucking it safely into his jacket.

"This is really important. I'm glad that I can trust you Jiraiya." said Naruto.

Jiraiya smiled, but noticed a small girl latched onto Naruto's back.

_'Almost 16 years old, and she looks to be Naruto's age. Small girl, cute face, great figure... But she hides it under baggy clothing? Hm, so she must be a shy one. Ha! Who would have thought Naruto had it in him to get his own girl?'_ thought Jiraiya with a smile.

"And who is your new lady friend?" inquired Jiraiya pervertedly.

"Shut up Jiraiya." said Naruto, giving the Sannin an annoyed look.

"J-Jiraiya?" asked Hinata.

"Hm?" grunted Jiraiya.

He barely heard it, but he could have sworn that the small girl said something.

"Th-th-the Jiraiya? The l-legendary S-sannin?" asked Hinata incredulously.

She was astounded that Naruto would know one of the three most powerful ninja in the land of Fire.

_'It must be a coincidence! ...But Jiraiya is such a rare name!'_ thought Hinata.

"Yeah, he's my teacher and stuff." said Naruto off-handedly.

Jiraiya smiled that the girl had heard of him. He was about to introduce himself as he usually did, dance and all. But he then noticed the eyes of the girl.

"A Hyuuga huh?" asked Jiraiya as he studied the girl.

His_ studying_ was quite too perverted for Naruto's taste, but before he could complain, Jiraiya picked up the both of them and gave them a big bear hug.

"Oh Naruto, I'm so proud of you!" cried the frog hermit as he swung them back and forth happily.

Naruto was surprised, confused, and annoyed.

Hinata was bewildered, blushing, and bashful.

"You've landed yourself quite the cute chicky boo!" said Jiraiya as he set them back down.

Hinata was speechless that she had actually been called a chicky boo, and was flushing red beyond belief that she had also been called Naruto's chicky boo.

"W-What?" said Naruto putting Hinata down.

When Naruto put Hinata down, she almost fell over because she was so flustered.

"Hinata isn't my um, Chicky boo!" said Naruto as he pointed at Hinata.

Hinata's reaction was immediate.

Jiraiya watched the two interact. He saw that when Naruto said that she wasn't his girl, she had a disappointed look on her face.

_'Oh-ho! I learned her name, and her deepest secret, all at once.'_ thought Jiraiya.

Jiraiya smiled wider than ever.

"So Hinata is her name? ...Alright, Alright she isn't your girl. Whatever you say." said Jiraiya putting his hands up defensively.

_'This is going to be fun. But I can't believe that Naruto hasn't caught on to her obvious attraction to him. Based on the look on his face, I would say he has no idea at all.'_ thought Jiraiya as he looked over the two.

"So... If she isn't your girl, then what is she to you then?" asked Jiraiya with a smile.

"She's like, one of my best friends!" said Naruto with a smile.

Naruto reached over, and playfully snatched her into a hug, swinging her back and forth.

Hinata's face immediately burned a bright red.

_'RUNTIME ERROR... PROCESSING... PROCESSING...'_ thought Hinata's mind.

"If so, then why is she blushing around you?" asked Jiraiya.

"Hm?" said Naruto.

Naruto set Hinata down in front of him, so he could look at her.

She did have a blushed look on her face, and was staring at the ground so much that it made it look interesting. No matter what direction Naruto looked at her, she would look in the opposite direction, and blush a little more.

He put his hand on his chin to think about it.

"Oh that... Well... she's always like that. She always has been." said Naruto.

Jiraiya smirked as he laughed at his antics in his head.

_'Oh, I've got him now!'_ thought Jiraiya.

"Oh? And why is that?" asked Jiraiya.

Naruto then thought back to all of the times he had ever seen her, and she had always been blushing whenever he talked to her, or even just looked at her. He contemplated this in his mind, but couldn't come up with an answer to why she was always blushing. It was just something that always was, he never felt the need to question it.

"Hmm... Why ARE you always blushing Hinata?" asked Naruto as he looked her in the eyes.

_'Oh no! He's asking me why! Okay, okay, I've... I've j-just got to c-come out, and t-tell him.'_ affirmed Hinata.

She took a deep breathe, as she prepared to tell Naruto what she wanted to tell him for too many years.

"Naruto..." began Hinata.

She was trying to think of the right words to say, but it was so very hard to think when there was so much pressure.

_'Yes! This is great! She's going to tell him how she feels!'_ thought Jiraiya excitedly.

"Over... Over the y-years I've known you, I've always b-been... inspired by how y-you never give up." said Hinata barely.

Her heart was pounding a mile a minute, the rhythmic thumping almost ringing in her head.

Naruto was already shocked at this confession of inspiration. He continued watching Hinata, trying to figure out what she was getting at.

_'I wish I had some popcorn! This is going to be great material for my next book!'_ thought Jiraiya.

Hinata felt like she was going to explode from the tension. She was completely stressed out about this. But she wanted him to know, she wanted to tell him so bad.

"I've... I've always liked you!" blurted Hinata.

_'YES! YES! I told him! It's all in the open now!'_ thought Hinata as she looked on excitedly at Naruto.

_'Will he say that he likes me back?'_ thought Hinata with hope.

_'Or will he gently let me down'_ thought Hinata sadly.

She studied his every movement, for any signs of emotion that she could read.

Her mind was in overdrive, her heart was trying to escape her chest, she knew that these next few seconds could change her entire life.

Naruto smiled happily and looked into her eyes.

_'YES! He's smiling! Smiling is good!'_ thought Hinata happily as she studied him even more thoroughly.

"Hinata..."

_'Okay, ready yourself girl, here it comes!'_ thought Hinata as she felt her heart speed up even faster.

"I've always liked you too." said Naruto as he smiled at her.

_'YES! YES! He said he likes me! He said he likes me!'_ thought Hinata excitedly.

But what he said next shot her down a few notches.

"You're the best friend I could ever hope for." finished Naruto as he smiled at her.

_'Idiot!'_ thought Jiraiya as he put his hand to his head.

Hinata completely froze and felt all of the joy rush out of her.

_'F-Friend? He only likes me as a friend?'_ thought Hinata in despair.

She felt tears well up in her eyes, and she fought to hold them back.

She looked up into Naruto's face to see a look of confusion.

"I still don't see how this is answering my question..." said Naruto as he scratched his head.

Hinata froze again, this time in realization.

_'Wait... that means he... he thought... wait... He thought I was saying that I LIKED him, not LOVED him!'_ thought Hinata excitedly.

Her heart began to pound again, her mind and stomach were all a-flutter once more.

_'Okay... Okay. I can still tell him, I just need to make him realize how I feel.' _thought Hinata.

_'Hinata?'_ thought Naruto.

She closed her eyes and readied herself. Her body was shaking, her hands were sweaty, and her mind was unsteadily trying to put her feelings into words. But she just couldn't get past all of the angst, pressure, and stress that blocked her path. The angst that Naruto would never like a girl like her. The pressure of the situation, and the fact that Naruto had unknowingly put her on the spot. And the stress of wondering if Naruto would try dating her, or if he would start avoiding her like the ick after her confession.

"Naruto... I... I... I..." began Hinata.

She had braced herself as much as she could, and this was as good as she was ever going to get. It was now or never. To blurt out her feelings for him now, or to go on for the rest of her life without the courage to tell him.

How could it be so hard to say three simple words? She felt the words on the tip of her tongue. Her heart was going to explode, her mind was racing so fast, her thoughts seems to be a nearly incoherent blur.

"Naruto I..." began Hinata.

(Poof!)

Suddenly Naruto disappeared in a plume of smoke, just as Hinata was about to say it.

"Na... Naruto?" asked Hinata looking around for the blond.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" screamed Hinata in frustration.

She fell down onto her knees. She had gone through all of that stress for nothing. She had built it up until her heart and mind were both at a breaking point. But it was all for naught. The one thing, the one simple thing that she had wanted to tell him for the longest time. She had almost told him. She had almost retrieved a lifetime's worth of closure. Even if Naruto had rejected her, at least she would have gotten it off of her chest.

But Naruto had inexplicably disappeared.

_'I was so close!'_ thought Hinata as she clenched her fists.

Jiraiya was a little shocked from the small Hyuuga's outburst, but decided that she needed comforting. Based on how much she was shaking just before Naruto disappeared, Jiraiya could tell she went though a lot just now.

"It's okay... It's alright..." said Jiraiya reassuringly as he patted her back.

He let her cry for a few moments before offering her his hand.

He helped her up onto her feet while she rubbed the tears of frustration from her eyes.

"He's dense, but he'll eventually realize how you feel about him. " said Jiraiya with a smile.

Hinata froze.

"W-what did you say?" stammered Hinata.

"I said that Naruto is dense. But he will eventually realize how you feel about him. In fact, I'm surprised he hasn't realized it yet." said Jiraiya.

_'He knows how I feel? No! Impossible! He just met me! How can he know?'_ thought Hinata stressfully.

"H-How do y-you know th-that I..." stammered Hinata.

Jiraiya held out his hand to silence her.

"Don't be foolish enough to think that your love for him isn't as obvious as gravity." said Jiraiya.

Hinata held both her hands over her mouth, and turned away in embarrassment.

Here was one of the legendary Sannin, right in front of her. They had just met, and yet he already knew of her deepest secret. And to make it worse, he was nonchalantly talking about it like it was open-book common knowledge.

"Is... Is it r-really that obvious?" asked Hinata bashfully.

"Yeah! I'm ashamed that Naruto hasn't been able to see this. From what he's told me about you, he's known you closely for several years. And even after all of this time he's spent with you, he still doesn't see it? I'm simply ashamed." said Jiraiya while shaking his head.

"Naruto has... spoke of me?" asked Hinata with a blush.

The thought of Naruto simply talking about her, made her very happy. She had no idea that he had any interest in any of her qualities. At least not enough to talk to someone about them.

"Yes. Quite frequently in fact. He spoke a lot about how you had the same nindo as him. But mostly he spoke of how kind you are. Now that I have finally met you, I can see why he talked about you in such a way." said Jiraiya.

"H-he s-s-spoke of me... F-frequently?" asked Hinata in surprise.

"Hm? Why yes. Naruto has told me a lot about all of his friends. Of all of the things we spoke of on our travels, speaking of his friends always seemed to bring him great comfort. Especially talking about you." said Jiraiya.

"Especially m-m-me?" stammered Hinata.

"Yes, especially you. As you probably know, Naruto was an orphan. He was very miserable and alone... until he got friends. And out of all of his friends, he said that you were the most kind. Of all of the people he had ever met, you were the nicest to him. Something like that is often remembered for a long time. You had a great impact on him, and I think that is why Naruto spoke of you so much." said Jiraiya.

Hinata blushed and twiddled her fingers together.

"I'm... I'm h-happy Naruto l-l-likes me." said Hinata bashfully.

"Haha! Naruto was right. You do seem to stutter and blush a lot." laughed Jiraiya with a smile.

Hinata blushed even more red, and turned away in embarrassment.

"He was also right about another thing, you ARE cute when you blush." said Jiraiya with a smile.

Hinata's eyes widened and her blush covered her entire face.

_'Hehe... I'm just so mean.' _thought Jiraiya happily.

"N-N-Naruto... Thinks that I'm... cute?" asked Hinata in surprise and disbelief.

"That's what he said, If I remember correctly." said Jiraiya.

Ignoring Hinata's current shocked and blushing demeanor, Jiraiya knelt down and examined the ground where Naruto disappeared.

"If you are wondering what happened to your hubby-to-be, it looked as though he were summoned somehow." concluded Jiraiya.

Jiraiya took out his telescope nonchalantly to look around the village.

Hinata was still imagining Naruto calling her cute, but she blushed even more when Jiraiya called her Naruto's hubby-to-be. She would have stayed in an enamored imaginative state forever if Jiraiya hadn't said something about Naruto's disappearance. She forcefully shook herself out of it. She had to ask about how Naruto disappeared. She was already quite concerned and worried about him disappearing like that. Especially when it had happened so suddenly.

"How... How was he summoned?" asked Hinata.

She was still shaking off the effects of the emotional rollercoaster she just experienced, but she was still sound of mind.

"It can be done with the sacrifice of blood, some chakra-laced summoning scroll, the full name of the person, an article of clothing or hair belonging to the one being summoned, and a rather large sample of their chakra. Knowing Naruto, it wouldn't be hard to get a sufficient amount of chakra from him. He lets that stuff pour out of his body like water from a sink." said Jiraiya as he looked around.

Jiraiya held his telescope back down, and looked at the spot where Naruto disappeared.

"Based on the size of the cloud of smoke that Naruto emitted as he left, I would say that he didn't even get summoned out of the town." concluded Jiraiya as he put away his telescope.

He looked back to Hinata.

"Do you have any idea where he could have been summoned?" asked Jiraiya inquisitively.

She would spend an entire week... with Naruto. She could practically kill herself if she didn't tell him how she felt in that amount of time together. Certainly they had been on missions before, for even longer times. But now it was different. She had almost told him her feelings just a few minutes ago. She had a solidified courage built up now. She knew it was still going to be very difficult, but she now had more courage to tell him than ever before.

"We... We are supposed to have a mission at the front gates." said Hinata.

"Alright!" said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya grabbed Hinata around her waist, and hefted her onto his shoulder.

"Eeep!" exclaimed Hinata in surprise.

The front of her hips were resting on his broad shoulder. Her legs were hanging down his back, and the rest of her was hanging in front of him.

Hinata held herself up slightly and looked at him in question.

"This way will be much quicker" assured Jiraiya.

"Um... M-Master Jiraiya?" asked Hinata bashfully.

"Yes? What is it?" asked Jiraiya.

"You... are one of the f-few that knows m-my... secret. C-Can you... promise not to tell?" pleaded Hinata.

"Of course. I won't tell. Your secret is safe with me." said Jiraiya.

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiraiya leaned down slightly, preparing to take off.

"Um... Master J-Jiraiya?" asked Hinata again.

"Yeah? What is it?" asked Jiraiya.

"So... Did Naruto really call me cute?" asked Hinata with a blush.

Jiraiya chuckled before responding.

"Out of all of the compliments he entitled to your name, cute was definitely one of them." said Jiraiya.

Hinata blushed fully red all over again.

Without warning, Jiraiya suddenly took off at break-neck speeds towards the front gates, carrying the Hyuuga heir in tow.

* * *

Back at the front gates, Hiashi had just finished writing out the scroll.

Everyone watched with amazement as Hiashi took out a blond piece of hair and put it on the scroll.

Nobody knew what he was doing, because it was so uncommonly practiced.

Before activating the scroll, Hiashi took out another smaller scroll from his his pocket.

Tsunade immediately recognized this scroll. She used a variation of it herself.

_'A seal design to contain chakra?'_ thought Tsunade.

Hiashi grabbed the new scroll in his other hand, and whipped it open. He wrapped the scroll around his free hand in a quick motion, and there was an immediate reaction.

His hand glowed a brilliant blue. A chakra which was not his own flowed from the scroll, and into his hand.

Hiashi then took his glowing hand, and slammed it into the summoning scroll on the ground.

The blond hair between the two scrolls vaporized, and mixed with the offering of blood. Then, the beautiful blue chakra was sucked from Hiashi's hand, into the pattern drawn on the scroll.

The entire summoning scroll glowed to life in a brilliant shine.

"Kuchiyose no Bun'ya no jutsu!" exclaimed Hiashi.

A large cloud of smoke appeared with a burst of energy, sending Hiashi and everyone else flying back.

Everyone waited anxiously for the smoke to clear.

When the smoke cleared, the explosion from the scroll left a crater 5 feet wide.

In the middle of the crater, was Naruto.

Naruto had a confused look on his face.

"Hinata?" asked Naruto.

He noticed he was in the middle of a crater, and at the edge of the crater, was a familiar group of shinobi.

"Um..." began Naruto.

He looked at his feet to see the remnants of a large scroll.

_'Hey! I know what that is! I actually know what that is! But why would someone do this? And where did they get the requisites?'_ thought Naruto in surprise.

"Did someone summon me?" exclaimed Naruto.

"I summoned you." said Hiashi.

_'Phft. Figures...'_ thought Naruto.

"Summoned? How is that possible?" asked Tsunade.

Naruto, ignoring everyone's chattering, took a step forward from the middle of the crater.

He immediately noticed that he was missing a certain article of clothing.

"Oh my God! Nobody move!... I'm missing my Boxers!" exclaimed Naruto as he looked around frantically.

Everyone just ignored what he said, since they knew that he must be kidding.

Tsunade was the only who acted. She jumped down into the crater, and landed next to him.

"Give me the box." whispered Tsunade as she held out her hand.

"Well give me my box... ers!" said Naruto.

Naruto moved in closer to Tsunade and whispered into her ear.

"Seriously, I'm not joking..." said Naruto seriously as he pointed down.

"Are... Seriously?" asked Tsunade incredulously.

"Sometimes in a summoning, not all of the target makes it. It usually just a piece of clothing that doesn't make it. More than likely, it got dropped between the summoning point, and the target point." said Naruto.

Hearing this, Tsunade actually glanced around once or twice for them.

"Wait! Wait a minute! Don't change the subject! Where's my box?" asked Tsunade angrily.

When she said this, it got everyone's attention.

"Yes Naruto. Where is the box?" asked Neji.

"Indeed. This is something I think we would all like to know." said Hiashi impatiently.

"I don't know where it is. It depends where the person I gave it to is right now..." said Naruto vaguely as he looked towards the Konoha spa.

"Who, Hinata?" asked Tsunade.

Tsunade moved in closer so that Naruto was in range of her attacks, just in case he tried to escape. But before he could answer, a triumphant voice bellowed from above.

"Heeeeelllllllllllooooooo Tsuuunaadeeeeeeee!" exclaimed Jiraiya.

Jiraiya fell from above, and landed harshly on the ground, creating a series of cracks across the hardened surface.

Tsunade sighed at the sight of her old teammate, and merely nodded to the Toad pervert.

"What? A nod? That's all the greeting I get when I bring you the Hyuuga heir?" asked Jiraiya.

He revealed the small Hyuuga girl on his shoulder. He dropped her off, and to everyone's surprise, she ran straight over to Naruto. She blushed, but she enjoyed the blond's close company.

"N-Naruto? Are you okay? You suddenly disappeared!" exclaimed Hinata in worry.

"I'm fine Hinata. Your father summoned me I guess." said Naruto.

"F-Father?" asked Hinata in surprise.

"Hinata, do you have the box?" asked Hiashi as he walked over to them.

_'The box? Ohhhhh... So that is what Naruto gave me. From my guess, I would have to say that I need to keep it away from everyone.'_ thought Jiraiya.

He had already secretly tucked the box into his jacket, so he wasn't really worried about it.

He looked back to Naruto to see Hiashi ganging up on Hinata.

Naruto looked Hinata in the eyes, which told her not to tell. She nodded and looked back at her father.

"I thought Naruto had it." said Hinata.

She turned her head back to Naruto, as if questioning him.

Naruto smiled a little at Hinata's cleverness, but quickly let it slip away.

"Nope, I gave it to someone I can trust. Just as long as he doesn't do anything perverted with it." concluded Naruto.

Naruto turned and faced Hinata. He wanted to ask her what she wanted to say before, but was interrupted by Tsunade's angry voice.

"YOU have it DON'T YOU?" accused Tsunade as she moved in on Jiraiya.

"Have what?" asked Jiraiya, as he gave her a confused look.

"Don't lie to me Jiraiya! Naruto said that he trusted the person that he gave it to as long as he wasn't PERVERTED WITH IT!" said Tsunade accusingly as she moved even closer.

"Excuse me? Are you implying that I am a pervert?" asked Jiraiya looking offended.

Tsunade stood there and stared at him as if he was kidding.

"Alright! Okay! I am a pervert, in fact I'm a super pervert, but I still don't know what you are talking about!" defended Jiraiya.

_'He doesn't seem to be lying...' _thought Tsunade.

"Besides, Naruto could have been referring to Kakashi or Hiashi... except Naruto doesn't trust Hiashi..." began Jiraiya.

"Excuse me?" exclaimed Hiashi.

"Are implying that..." began Hiashi.

"Yes" said Jiraiya quickly.

"How could you think that I..." asked Hiashi, but he was cut off by Jiraiya.

"Oh come on! You have the powers of the Byakugan, you can see right through people's clothing! Don't tell me you don't use that to your advantage. All Hyuugas can do it." said Jiraiya.

"Not all Hyuugas are like that..." said Hinata.

She gave him a pleading look and kept glancing back at Naruto.

Jiraiya smiled understandingly as he changed the subject.

"So Kakashi, you don't deny being a pervert?" asked Jiraiya.

"No." said Kakashi simply.

Kakashi was too busy reading Icha Icha Paradise volume 2 to pay much attention.

"You do know that I have a third volume in the works right?" asked Jiraiya.

"Really?" exclaimed Kakashi as he stared at the man with sudden respect.

Suddenly Jiraiya zipped over to the book and autographed it, then he whipped out the unfinished manuscript of volume 3.

"There... There is already a third novel?" exclaimed Kakashi as he stared at he book.

"Yeah! I started writing this one about six months ago..." said Jiraiya.

He put a hand on Kakashi's shoulder, and continued to yap on and off about the book.

As the two pervs were talking, so was everyone else.

Gai and Lee were talking about a new training regimen.

Kiba and Shino were talking about some gift shop.

Neji and Ten Ten as they were whispering into each other's ears and occasionally blushing.

Everyone was talking amongst themselves, ignoring the fact that they were supposed to be on a mission.

Even Hiashi and Hinata fighting quietly as they both kept glancing back at Naruto.

Naruto and Tsunade sat there with their hands on thier faces, and they both looked to be tired of this racket.

"I THOUGHT WE HAD A MISSION TO DO!" shouted Naruto.

Everyone suddenly stopped talking and faced him.

_'Wow, that was easy'_ thought Naruto as he tried his best to stand tall and composed.

"That's enough messing around! Now give your respect to the Hokage as she gives us our orders." said Naruto with authority.

Everyone looked at him, surprised that he had commanded them like that. But they decided that it was probably for the best to do start their mission anyway.

Tsunade looked over at Naruto, and was surprised that he commanded such respect from such a diverse crowd, but she too thought she had better get started.

"Alright! I assume everyone has the supplies they need?" asked Tsunade as she recieved nods from everyone.

"Good, Okay! The team leaders will be Kakashi..." said Tsunade.

Kakashi nodded nonchalantly.

"Kurenai..." continued Tsunade.

Kurenai smiled and stood up.

"Gai..." continued Tsunade.

Gai stood tall and saluted.

"And Naruto." finished Tsunade.

She looked over to the blond to see the surprised but happy look on his face.

"W-What?" exclaimed the group simultaneously.

They all looked at Tsunade as though she was on crack.

Naruto nodded as he stood tall to except the responsibilities of being a leader.

_'Yay Naruto-kun! Show them your best!'_ thought Hinata happily.

"You... you can't be serious?" exclaimed Kurenai as she stared at the Hokage.

"I am. And whether you have realized it or not, Naruto has matured many great lengths, and based on past test runs and training with the kid, I would say that he is more than ready to take on this responsibility." concluded Tsunade as she recieved a smile from Naruto.

"From this point on, Naruto is to be considered your superior, and should be treated as such." said Tsunade.

She had a threatening look in her eye to indicate that no one was to do otherwise.

"And the same goes for Kakashi, Kurenai, and Gai." finished Tsunade as she turned around.

"I assume that the team leaders can take it from here, so I'll leave you Shinobi to do your jobs." said Tsunade.

She disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving the teams alone.

"..."

Everyone was still shocked that Naruto had been chosen as a leader, and some of them were just too shocked to even think.

"Alrighty then!" said Naruto happily as he walked into the middle of them.

Naruto quickly rolled out the map of the Land of the Rice Patties that had a spiral on it that Tsunade had drew before, and pinned it down with 4 kunai all at once.

Everyone watched Naruto, but they didn't have much time to think as he continued to talk.

"This is the path we need to take to get to where Sasuke is being held... if we don't want to be detected that is." said Naruto as he traced his finger along the spiral.

"It will take about a week to take this path, and I think this is unneccesary." concluded Naruto.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out several pins. Naruto then took them in his hand and placed them so that they were a few inches apart, and so that they were all next to the farthest outside line of the spiral.

"I say that Kakashi, Gai, and I..." said Naruto pointing at three pins he had placed on the outside.

"...Being the only masters of the tunnel no jutsu, should space ourselves out every one hundred and twenty degrees from the ninety degree angle here..." continued Naruto as he drew a line perfectly down the middle of he spiral.

"And we should tunnel our way through with our own respective teams, while checking for traps along the way." said Naruto.

He moved his finger from one pin, to the middle where Sasuke laid in waiting.

"This way, the trip will only be about one and a half days without stopping, and it will be very effective to get in unseen. As for teams, I say that Shino goes with one group to scope things out with his bugs, the other Team gets Neji, and the remaining one gets Hinata, for their effective uses of the Byakugan." concluded Naruto.

He looked up to gauge everyone's reactions, but they were all just staring at him.

"If you are wondering why I chose us to tunnel in every 120 degrees..." said Naruto, ignoring everyone's open-mouth staring.

"It is because of the Five-Prong-Seal that Orochimaru favors so much." said Naruto.

He drew a few insignias around the spiral to show that the spiral was actually a cleverly disguised Five-Prong-Seal.

"There are gaps every 120 degrees from the 90 degree angle in the seal, and I think that Orochimaru was conceded enough to make his defenses as such" finished Naruto as he looked around.

"Any questions, ideas, disagreements?" asked Naruto politely as he crossed his arms and looked at the other leaders.

"Holy Crap..." said Kiba as he stared at the diagram on the floor.

"That's... That's not bad Naruto." concluded a wide-eyed Kakashi.

"Wow... Naruto..." said Hinata as she thought about him.

_'Amazing! So he's funny, strong, clever, AND smart?'_ thought Hinata as she stared at him innappropriately.

Kurenai noticed her staring and nudged her slightly while she leaned to her ear.

"Keep it in your pants." whispered Kurenai teasingly with a smile.

"I may not have much of a say in this, but I say we go with that plan." said Neji as he looked over at his cousin to see her reaction to the plan.

As Neji looked over at her, he saw that she was practically drooling, and staring at the blonde.

"And Hiashi yelled at me?" said Neji quietly

"And for good reason." said Hiashi from right next to him.

Neji jumped away in surprise and landed face-first in Ten Ten's lap.

Ten Ten tried to grab him to stop him from falling, but he landed awkwardly as his face got stuffed into her cleavage.

They both sat there for a moment, stunned, and then Neji quickly jumped away from TenTen and began spewing out apologies.

As stumbled backwards, he ran into Naruto, knocking him over into Hinata. Hinata went to catch Naruto, but his face also landed in her cleavage. Naruto immediately jumped off of her and stumbled backwards, stammering apologies in embarrassment.

Hinata was blushing like no tomorrow.

As Naruto stumbled backward, still apologizing, Kakashi realized that Naruto was unknowingly heading for him.

Kakashi saw this and looked to the left of himself to see Kurenai sitting next to him.

"(Sigh) Alright, I can see where this is going." said Kakashi.

He stepped to the side to get out of the way.

As Naruto got closer, he suddenly tripped over his own feet, and knocked Kakashi from his feet.

He immediately fell to the side, and saw Kurenai's expression.

He managed to hold out his arms to stop his face from landing in her bra. His hands were braced to Kurenai's left and right, holding his face a mere inch from Kurenai's bra. It wasn't as bad as Neji or Naruto, but it was still awkward.

"(Sigh) excuse me." said Kakashi politely as he stood back up.

He looked into her face to see that she wasn't angry like he expected, but was blushing madly. It was almost a mirrored example of Hinata with Naruto around.

_'What?'_ thought Kakashi as he looked into her eyes.

She kept looking at him while blushing, and kept quickly looking away.

_'Kurenai?'_ thought Kakashi as he smiled to himself.

"Okay Naruto, I agree with your plan, but what do we do if one of us gets caught?" asked Kakashi as he crossed his arms.

Naruto finished apologizing to a scarlet faced Hinata and regained his composure.

"We will be in constant contact with each other." said Naruto.

He threw each of the team leaders a CBU's from his bag.

"If one team gets caught in a fight, then that particular team is to contact me on frequency 3, and I will take care of the rest." said Naruto.

He pulled out his bag again and began rummaging around in it.

Everyone seemed to agree with this plan, and nobody asked any questions except Hiashi, who was not even part of the mission.

"What will be the team arrangements?" asked Hiashi suddenly.

Naruto looked at him, and saw him glance once or twice at his daughter. Naruto immediately understood why he wanted to know.

Naruto finished rummaging around in his bag and pulled out a sheet of paper.

"Your teams will be listed here, and I for one think that this team arrangement willl be the most efficient." said Naruto as he passed out the sheet to be looked at.

The sheet looked like this:

Team 1:

Neji Hyuuga, TenTen, Rock Lee, and Might Gai.

Team 2:

Kurenai, Kiba Inuzuka, Shino Aburame, and Kakashi Hatake.

Team 3:

Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyuuga.

"Wait a minute, hold up! There has to be a mistake!" said Kiba as he stood up angrily.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER


	10. Leaving at last!

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter : 10**_

**_Leaving At Last!!_**

"Wait a minute! There has to be a mistake!" complained Kiba as he stood up angrily.

"(sigh) what is it?" said Naruto as he tiredly looked him in the eyes.

"Why is Hinata on YOUR team?" asked Kiba accusingly.

"I...I'm on N-Naruto's Team?" asked Hinata as she stepped up to stand closer to Naruto while blushing.

_'God, her love for him is so obvious I could almost shoot him for being so dense!'_ thought Jaraiya as he watched the three.

"(sigh) I've already explained this before" said Naruto as he pointed at the diagram.

"Each team must have at least one Tunnel no jutsu expert, and one good Doujutsu(eye blood limit or jutsu)." said Naruto as he pointed back at the sheet.

"Our current team 7 had two Tunnel no jutsu experts, but no good doujutsus." said Naruto as he pointed at thier current team status of Kakashi, Sakura and himself.

Kiba was about to interject, but Naruto cut him off.

"I wanted to keep the teams as original as possible, because you all have fighting experience with each other. I was able to keep Gai's group together, but I had to trade Kakashi for Hinata so that all teams would have equal Doujutsus and Tunnel no jutsu masters." finished Naruto as he stood with his arms crossed.

Kiba sat back down, accepting Naruto's logic, but still gave him an accusing look.

"How long did you say the trip would take?" asked Hinata politely as she stepped a bit closer.

_'I hate to have my daughter on the same team as Naruto, but his logic is extremely sensible.'_ thought Hiashi as he turned to leave.

"I guess that is satisfactory enough for me" said Hiashi quietly as he left, but before he did he turned and whispered something to Neji. Nobody heard him, and Naruto answered Hinata's question.

"It will be about a day and a half, but if we get caught without triggering an alarm, than we will regroup at my command at the point where we were spotted and we will camp there after taking out any opponents within a half-mile radius. In which case it will take about another day before we are all fully rested enough to fight again" concluded Naruto as he took his pack and slung it over his shoulder.

Hinata looked down dissapointed that she would have less time with Naruto, but decided to cheer up because it was better then nothing.

"Alright! I vote that we elect Gai as a forth team leader since his group has no team leader."

said Naruto as he he held up his hand.

"Those in favor?" asked Naruto.

Kakashi and Kurenai both held up there hands.

"Good, Gai, I promote you to the position of team leader of Team Gai on this mission." said Naruto with authority as Gai saluted him.

"Do all team leaders agree with my plan of stragedy?" asked Naruto.

"Yes." said Kurenai rounding up her team.

"Yes." said Kakashi as he already stood with his team.

'Heck Yes!" said Gai enthusiastically.

"Okay state your frequencies on the CBU's" said Naruto as he held up his CBU.

"3!" said Naruto.

"7" said Kakashi holding up his CBU and Kurenai's hand which held her's, since they were on the same team it wouldn't make sense for them to have different frequencies. Kurenai blushed at Kakashi holding her hand, and then blushed even more, because when Kakashi dropped thier hands, he didn't let go. Kakashi blushed a bit, but stood staight and attentive to Naruto.

"And what is your frequency Gai?" asked Naruto

"271!" yelled Gai as he held up his CBU with a smile.

Everyone stared at him with disbelief.

"What, 271 is my lucky number!" defended Gai as he looked down to his CBU to see that it only went to single digits.

"(sigh) Fine, I choose 5!" said Gai holding up his CBU again.

"Alright then! All teams...SCATTER!" screamed Naruto as the three teams left in a blur.

--

In the forest, the teams made their ways to the point of impact, where they would begin digging.

Team Naruto was making it's way around the perimeter, jumping from branch to branch.

Hinata was jumping next to Sakura and wanted to make her way over to Naruto.

Between hops she changed her angle of jumping so that she would fly closer to Naruto.

_'Okay I've just got to get a bit closer'_ she thought as they cintinued to hop.

_'Okay...Branch'_ thought Hinata as she jumped of off a branch.

_'Branch...'_

_'Naruto'_

_'Branch...'_

_'Naruto is closer!'_

_'Branch... Naruto...'_

SLAM! A huge cracking noise rang through the forest as Hinata ran face first into a tree.

"(gasp) Hinata!" said Naruto as he quickly flew back to catch her.

Naruto caught her and put her in his arms bridal style, then quickly caught up to Sakura.

"Is she alright?" asked Sakura as they continued to jump.

"Hinata. Hinata! Are you okay?!" asked Naruto as he looked into her face. She had spirals in her eyes and a dazed look on her face.

"..."

"Hinata?"

"Ger-biggle...swameeeee..." said Hinata as she started waving her arms around slowly in the air.

"She's slightly unconscious and has a bit of head Trauma, but she'll be alright" said Sakura as she looked her over.

They continued to jump, and things were going fine until Hinata began to move around.

"He hee hoo ha..." said Hinata as she began sliding her hands on Naruto's chest.

He blushed from her contact, and it seemed soothing for her to be massaging him like that.

Suddenly Hinata reached her right hand down his pants.

"Did...did she just..." said Sakura, shocked, as they kept jumping.

Naruto looked as though he were a tomato and he blushed from her gentle sqeezing.

"Heee..." said Hinata as she continued to be perverted with Naruto's undershorts.

"Naaaruuutooooo" she said as she blushed to match Naruto's Scarlet colored face.

"Aaaaaaooookay! We have to stop!" said Naruto as he quickly stopped on a branch to put her down so that he would have a free hand.

He took her hand out of his pants while he and Sakura looked away blushing.

"Okay, this has been the second time that this has happened." said Naruto as he picked her back up again. Sakura blushed and said "I know, I heard of the other time."

Hinata looked to be completely unconscious now, and her head was leaning against his shoulder with her eyes closed as she peacefully slept.

"Okay lets..." said Naruto as he suddenly stopped talking.

Sakura looked back to see that Hinata had stuck her hand back in his pants.

All three of them blushed as this happened.

Naruto then looked at Sakura with a pleading look.

"Alright, let me help" said Sakura as she jumped over to the branch Naruto was on.

"Okay" said Sakura as she grabbed Hinata's wrist and pulled out her hand.

"Now that that's taken care of, let's" said Sakura who stopped talking suddenly.

Hinata had already stuck her hand back into his pants.

Sakura marched back over and took it out.

It went back in.

Out.

In.

Out.

In.

"..."

"Okay that's enough!" said Sakura as she took out some rope.

Sakura then quickly tied Hinata hands together, and then tied the other end through a hole in Naruto's shirt collar.

"There, that should..."

rrrrRRRRRRIIIIIIIIIIPPPPP!!

Both of Hinata's hands were now down his pants, along with the front of Naruto's shirt.

"That's it, I give up!" said Naruto as he jumped to the next branch.

"We need to keep moving, no matter how innappropriate this looks" said Naruto blushing.

Sakura nodded in agreement as she blushed a little and they continued moving.

"..."

They were silent as they moved quickly from branch to branch. The hour or so that it would take to get to the destination point went by slowly for Naruto since Hinata kept making innappropriate movements with her hands.

"...If Hinata wakes up and she still has her hands down my pants...you have to help me tell her what happened." said Naruto as he looked over at Sakura.

Sakura nodded in agreement, knowing what had happened last time with Hinata and Naruto.

_'This isn't so bad, a girl just has her hands down my paaaaaaants!'_ thought Naruto as he looked down. Hinata was now squeezing him very sexually, and was starting to slightly moan a bit.

Naruto blushed and looked over to Sakura, hoping she hadn't seen, but she was staring right at him with disbelief. Naruto had a look on his face like he was extremely uncomfortable, and he was about to try and wake her up, but then his CBU went off.

"WE HAVE REACHED OOOOOOOUR DESTINATION POOOOIIIINNNNT!" said Gai triumphantly through the CBU.

"This is Rubber ducky on the 4-1-80 whats yer 10-20 over?" said Kakashi through the CBU like a trucker.

Naruto was not in a position to talk, and Sakura ran over to Naruto after they landed in the clearing of their destination point.

"We are in position, but we have... been a little tied up" said Sakura playfully as she giggled at Naruto's state.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny." said Naruto as Sakura's put her hand next to his mouth so that he could talk into the CBU.

"OOOOOoooooOOOOhhhhh..." moaned Hinata as she continued to massage Naruto.

"What's that noise?..." asked Kakashi pervertedly.

"OOOOOOooooaaaahhhhNaaaaruuuuutooooooo..." said Hinata as she leaned up to Naruto's face.

"N-nothing! nothing at all!" said Sakura as she tried to remove Hinata.

"It doesn't sound like nothing..." said Kurenai accusingly.

"It sounds like...Hinata!?" asked Kurenai incredulously.

Naruto was about to defend Hinata, but was suddenly unable to speak.

Hinata was now so close to his face that she could kiss him.

Naruto was completely frozen as Hinata hugged him tighter.

She then leaned up and soothingly rubbed her face against his.

"Mmmmmmmmm...Narutooooo..." said Hinata as she continued to rub her cheek against him.

Sakura could only watch this happen, as Hinata then leaned back just enough so that Naruto could see her wole face.

Naruto felt his heartbeat race, and was loving every second of the new treatment he was getting from Hinata.

He felt that it was wrong to feel this way with his best friend, but quickly abandoned those thoughts as Hinata leaned in and licked his face. She did it extremely slow and extremely sexually, as her tongue went from Naruto's lips to his forehead, moaning softly the entire way.

They both blushed when she was done and then she put her head back into his shoulder and hugged him tightly.

Naruto felt her heartbeat, and felt her relaxed content breathing. He felt at peace with her embracing him, and wished it would never end. Hinata then abruptly began to giggle to herself, and it made Naruto happy that she was happy, he wanted to figure out a way to make her even happier, but his thoughts were interupted by his CBU.

"Hinata was moaning Naruto! What are you doing to her!?" asked Kurenai, who was worried for Hinata's well being... and innocence.

"She...she's unconscious..." said Naruto, half conscious himself.

He was in a world of comfort in which he had never been in before. It felt good to have Hinata close to him, and if felt even better when she touched him, but he couldn't figure out this deep seeded feeling he had for her.

"And she's making weird noises" finished Naruto as he started to wake up.

Naruto shook his head and realized that he had a mission to accomplish...confusing feelings or not.

"Dig on my signal" interupted Naruto as he pried Hinata from himself and gave Sakura Hinata's giggling unconscious body.

"She better not..." said Sakura as she intentively watched Hinata's hands.

Sakura then took out a plastic orb, and filtered her chakra into it.

"That should help us see when we are underground" said Sakura as she attached it to her short's belt.

Naruto nodded to her and flew through several hand signs, finally landed on the Ram sign.

"NOW! Tunnel no jutsu!" said Naruto as he started to fly through the ground.

Usually he would close the ground behind him so that he would leave no trace, but he had to remember to leave it open and harden it so that Sakura and Hinata could get through.

He blushed when he thought of Hinata, and wanted to back and hold her close to him.

_'What?! what am I thinking?'_ thought Naruto as he continued to burrow.

_'I don't understand these...these feelings I'm having...'_ thought Naruto as he smashed through a small boulder with ease.

Naruto thought extremely hard for a few minutes then had a realization.

_'I want her...'_ thought Naruto as he looked back at the two, who were following him easily. The hole he was making was as tall as him, and as long as he made the ground harden when he dug through it, then they would be fine.

_'I want her?'_ thought Naruto again as he questioned himself, but continued burrowing anyways.

_'No that's perverted!' _thought Naruto desisively as he continued his job.

_'I'll just push those feeling aside'_ thought Naruto as he decided that the feelings he had were only sexual, and that he should try to resist such perverted thoughts.

Over the next 8 or so hours, he tried to push the feelings aside, but every time he did, they would come back even stronger.

Naruto could feel his heart being pulled at as he kept his thoughts to what he thought was _clean,_ but nothing he did could keep those feelings at bay.

A long time had past by and Naruto didn't have any luck with figuring out, or even pushing aside the feelings.

Naruto had started to worry about Hinata, because it had been about 8 hours and she had not yet woken up.

Naruto felt as though he had been digging forever, and his Chakra was about 1/5 depleted. He wondered what the weather was like outside, but didn't get a chance to think about it much, as his thoughts were interupted by his CBU.

"(pant)(pant) Na...ru...to..." panted Kakashi.

_'Wow. He sounds exhausted...'_ thought Naruto.

"I'm exhausted!" said Kakashi.

_'You are correct sir!'_ thought Naruto as he smiled to himself.

"Wait what?!" said Naruto incredulously.

"We still have about 28 hours to go!" said Naruto as he looked at the map.

"You expected us to keep this up for 36 hours sraight?!" said Gai incredulously as he sounded exausted as well.

"Well...yeah. I assumed you guys were stronger than me." said Naruto sheepishly.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" asked Gai and Kakashi as they were apparently simultaniously offended.

"Oh nothing, it's just that I have only used one fifth of my chakra so far, and I thought that you guys were stronger than me so..." said Naruto waiting for a response.

"..."

There was a profound silence as he waited for a response from his teamates.

"So... so your telling me... that you could have burrowed for 36 hours straight?" asked Gai incredulously.

"But you can't risk using the Kyuubi's chakra Naruto, it could end up disastrous." whispered Kakashi so that Kurenai, Shino, and Kiba couldn't hear him talking about the Kyuubi.

Naruto had only told a few people about the Kyuubi, and most of the people his age on this mission hadn't been told, for Naruto feared that they would hate him for harboring a demon inside of himself.

"I was refering to MY chakra" said Naruto as he smiled to himself, knowing that he had far more power then Elite Jounin.

"..."

There was a silence.

"Well, I guess that's the first snag in my plan." said Naruto as he sighed to himself.

"You guys need to set up camp, but don't start a fire, it will eat up all of the oxygen and you will die of suffucation and inhaling too much smoke." said Naruto as he formed the hand signs of the Tunnel no jutsu.

"Can you keep going Sakura?" asked Naruto who looked back to see that Sakura was already asleep and had tired herself out from carrying Hinata.

Naruto smiled to himself and dropped the jutsu.

"Alright, I guess that we are taking a break." said Naruto into the CBU as he sat down next to Sakura to re-evaluate his plan.

"(sigh) How long will it take for you to get fully rested?" asked Naruto.

"At our current state, I would say about 8 hours of sleep." said Kakashi as you could hear Kurenai giggling in the background.

Naruto was about to ask him about it, but decided that he had some thinking to do anyways.

"Ok, we rest for 8 hours, than we get going again, call me back only if it is an emergency." said Naruto as he thought about Gai's team for a moment.

"Please relay any important messages I give you to Gai's team." finished Naruto as he set down the CBU.

Naruto sat there, with plenty of energy left, and began to feel an immense amount of...boredom.

He was going to contemplate what to do next, but suddenly...it went dark.


	11. Underground

My Heart's Lavender Eyes

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

**--**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

**--**

_**Chapter 11:**_

_**Underground**_

He was going to contemplate what to do next, but suddenly...it went dark.

Startled, Naruto put the Kyuubi's chakra into his eyes, so that he could gain his sight. With the Kyuubi's eyes, he could see in the dark, and with enough concentration, could see through the dirt to the surface if he wanted.

Naruto turned his head to see that Sakura's chakra-powered light had been distinguished, because her chakra was no longer being pushed into the orb.

Naruto sighed and prepared himself for 8 hours of nothingness...

Naruto sat, contently waiting for his teamates to be rested.

_'Content' _thought Naruto as he sat in the dirt.

_'Coooonnnnntent'_ thought Naruto as he twitched a bit.

"..."

_'God I'm bored!!'_ thought Naruto as he looked over to the girls.

They were both sleeping to his left, and they both looked really tired.

Just over 7 hours went by, and Naruto felt as though he were in a cage that he couldn't escape.

_'God, I at least want to continued burrowing!'_ thought Naruto as he practiced his hand signs.

'_Snake, Boar, Ram, Bear...'_ said Naruto as he flew threw the signs.

_'Yin, Yang, Eagle, What the?!'_ thought Naruto as he was interupted by a movement next to him.

Suddenly something hit him in the face.

He looked in front of him to see one of Hinata's hair strips was dangling in front of him, as he held up his arms foolishly in a Taijutsu defense.

Naruto sighed, relaxing himself as he swatted it away, when he did, it swang back and forth.

_'Hey! That's continuous and time consuming!'_ thought Naruto as he continued to play with Hinata's hair.

He swatted it and it bounced a bit while swinging back and forth.

Naruto smiled playfully at it, amused that Hinata's hair was so much fun.

He looked over to Hinata to see her face looking peaceful and...and...

"Beautiful" said Naruto as he gazed upon her face.

When he realized he was staring, he de-activated his Doujutsu, and quickly looked away blushing.

As he did, he accidently nudged Sakura's elbow which caused her to drop Hinata.

Hinata landed onto Naruto's lap, and as she did, her hand slid down his pants and into his underwear.

Naruto was stunned in place as he felt a small smooth hand fall into his boxers.

"Ah...ah..." gasped Naruto as he froze against the wall.

As Naruto froze, Hinata's head landed rather harshly onto Naruto's thigh, waking her up.

_'Hnnnn... urrrrrrg... my head...'_ thought Hinata as she lifted up her head from Naruto's lap.

Everything was dark and she couldn't see, so she felt her hands around the floor for Sakura's orb thingy.

But when she went to move her right hand, it seemed to be stuck in some kind of zipper pocket.

_'This must be Naruto's supply bag...maybe there's a light in here...'_ thought Hinata as she felt around.

She then grabbed something extremely warm and fleshy.

_'What is this?'_ thought Hinata as she squeezed it once to see what it would do.

"nnnk!" gasped Naruto as he felt the soft delicate hand squeeze his manhood.

_'I can't tell what anything is!'_ thought Hinata, annoyed.

_'Byakugan!'_ thought Hinata as she activated her blood limit.

She couldn't see in the dark with her blood limit, but she could still see the chakra of other people.

She got up off of the ground, and got onto her hands and knees.

She looked in front of her to see the chakra system of Naruto. She looked down to see that her hand was grabbing his...

"Bleachk!!"

Blood came out of Hinata's nose as she fell to the ground, unconscious from the Naruto overload in her mind.

_'You'd think I'd be used to this by now...'_ thought Naruto as he felt another squeeze and got stunned to the wall by the feeling of it.

When Hinata fell into unconsciousness, her hand began to twitch, which made her squeeze Naruto repedatively.

"Oh, oh god..." said Naruto as he grabbed onto the nearest object to brace himself.

The noise he made woke up Sakura.

"(Yawn)" said Sakura as she grabbed her orb.

'What time is it?' thought Sakura groggily as she applied chakra to the orb.

Light enveloped the room to reveal Hinata and Naruto.

"Wha...What the fuck Naruto!" exclaimed Sakura as she pointed at the two.

Naruto broke out of his stupor to see a very suprised and accusing look on Sakura's face.

Hinata was on her face which was between his legs, and she was still on her knees with her hand down his pants, and Naruto had his hands on Hinata's butt, which was sticking up in the air.

"..."

Naruto could not believe what was happening, or what he was doing, but he knew that he still had to explain to Sakura either way.

Naruto opened his mouth to explain, but Sakura beat him to it.

"Naruto! How dare you take advantage of a sweet girl like Hinata!?" exclaimed Sakura while she advanced on him.

"W-wait! I...I can explain!" assured Naruto as he wildly collected himself for an explanation.

"Naruto, I can understand why Hinata's hand was down your pants because of what happened before, but why are you grabbing her ass!?"

Naruto looked down with a look of suprise to see that he was still grasping Hinata's butt.

"Nyah!" said Naruto as he removed his hands from her booty like it was hot steel.

_'Ooops...'_ thought Naruto as he stared at Hinata's unconscious form.

Sakura saw this, and realized that he must have accidently done it in the dark.

"(sigh)Never mind." said Sakura as she sighed.

She sat back down and looked over at Naruto tiredly, but what she saw suprised her.

Naruto was picking up Hinata with excellent care, he grabbed her waist and flipped her around so her butt was in between his legs and leaned her back against him so that she would be comfortable. Naruto then took out a hankerchief and began to carefully wipe the blood from Hinata's face.

_'She must have been blind in the dark, and over-used her Byakugan to try and see, and then she probably went unconscious of because of blood loss like before.'_ thought Naruto as he re-adjusted his pants while blushing. She had pretty much been massaging Naruto's privates, and he was sure that it must have been an accident, Hinata would never do something like that. looked down into Hinata's blushing, innocent face, and his feelings began to return to him. He looked into her face, and wished that he could talk to her, and tell her a joke to make her happy.

_'Seeing Hinata happy...makes me happy...'_ thought Naruto as he looked longingly down at her.

Sakura saw the look in his eyes as he continued to clean her face.

_'He looks...so...happy...'_ thought Sakura as she looked at the two.

"How long was I out?" asked Sakura as she rubbed her eyes, pushing the subject aside to give the mission her full attention.

"It's been over 7 hours." said Naruto as he finished cleaning Hinata's face, and put his rag into his pocket.

"7 hours?!" exclaimed Sakura as she quickly stood up.

"Yeah, everyone is resting, I gave them 8 hours and their time is almost up." said Naruto as he pointed towards his watch.

Sakura plopped back down and sighed to herself that she had been out for so long.

_'I wonder how the others are doing?'_ thought Sakura as she leaned back against the wall.

Gai's team was not as exhausted as Kakashi's team because of Lee and Gai's brute strength, but it didn't mean that they weren't having troubles of thier own.

(8 hours earlier)

"Alright everyone!" said Gai enthusiatically as he plopped down his supplies.

"Time to rest up!" said Gai as he suddenly spun like a tornado.

When he stopped spinning he was wearing PJ's, in his sleeping bag, and was already asleep.

"Is...is he asleep?" asked TenTen as she stared at him.

"It appears so." said Neji as he started getting out his sleeping bag.

"But he's still standing!" complained TenTen as she took out her own sleeping bag.

Suddenly and abruptly Gai fell over faster then he should have and made a small crater in the ground.

"..."

"Ha that's Gai sensei for you!" said Lee as he jumped into the air, putting on his pajamas and sleeping bag in one quick motion and fell harshly onto the ground, asleep.

_'Oh for christ sake...'_ thought Neji as he laid down on top of his sleeping bag.

TenTen blushed as Neji laid down right next to her.

TenTen really liked Neji, but Neji was a guy that was hard to get to know. But it was all worthwhile to get to know him even if it did take a while. She was now closer to Neji than she had ever been before, they were laying directly next to each other, and thier shoulders were almost touching.

As she laid on her side next to him, she sighed to herself happily, thinking of all of the loving moments they could have if they got together. Neji however, was staring at the ceiling and seemed to be thinking about something intently.

_'I wonder if he is thinking about asking me out!'_ thought TenTen hopefully as she continued to stare at her crush.

As she stared at him, Neji suddenly, and abruptly, spun onto his side to face TenTen.

"Nah!" said TenTen as she jumped a bit, from their sudden face-to-face position.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" asked Neji as he looked her straight in the face. They were so close that their noses were practically touching.

"Wha...whatever gave you that idea?" asked TenTen politely as she tried to push aside her nervousness from them being so close.

"Because you were staring at me." said Neji almost accusingly.

_'How did he know that?! He was staring at the ceiling!'_ thought TenTen as she sat open-mouthed, but no words came out.

"I can see 360 degrees, remember?" said Neji as he moved his face closer so that thier noses were touching.

TenTen blushed at this close contact, a little more than she probably wanted to.

"Now then, tell me what you wanted to say to me." said Neji as he gave her a small smile.

_'He...he's smiling!'_ thought TenTen as she bit her lower lip.

"Neji, I...I..." said TenTen but couldn't get the right words out.

Suddenly Neji moved in and kissed her passionately on the lips.

"Mmnnn!" mumbled TenTen as she felt her heart jump.

The kiss seemed to last forever, but to her dissapointment, he finally broke apart.

Neji now had a large smile on his face, and he looked into her blushing face with a look of longing.

"Love you?" finished Neji for her as he smiled at her state of shock.

"Y-yes." said TenTen while nodding.

"Just to make sure that you know, I am falling for you as well." said Neji as he blushed a bit.

TenTen then flew at Neji knocking him over. She began to make out with him, as they rolled around randomly on the floor, but were interupted by a voice from across the room.

"See, I told you they would get together" said Lee who was smiling broadly..

Suddenly the two flew away from each other, and they both blushed and looked away from each other.

Neji opened his mouth to deny everything, but Gai cut him off.

"Don't bother denying it, we saw the whole thing." said Gai as he stood up.

They both blushed deeper and kept glancing back and forth from Gai, to each other.

"And to tell you the truth, me and Lee have been waiting forever for you two to hook up!" said Gai as he gave them a thumbs up.

"We are so happy for the two of you!" said Lee as he also gave a thumbs up.

"Do not worry, in about two minutes, me and Gai will be out cold, so you two can do whatever you want, we do not mind." said Lee assuringly as he laid back down into his sleeping bag.

Neji and TenTen were both red in the face, and Neji was about to interject, but Gai beat him to it again.

"No, we don't mind, but if you two are going to have sex, then you need to go to a different room." teased Gai as he gave them a wink and immediately fell into his pillow, snoring.

Ten Ten was going to interject as well, but she was cut off by Lee's sudden snoring fit.

"SNORE!! SNORE!!"

"..."

"Lee! When people snore, they don't actually say the words snore!"

Lee was either asleep, or was ignoring her, but either way as long as they weren't looking, it was fine with her.

TenTen was so happy they had gotten together, but now that everything was out in the open, they would have to talk about their relationship.

She gulped at what was coming, she knew that she had to tell Neji everything about herself.

She turned to Neji to demand that he tell her why he fell for her, and was ready to tell Neji why she lfell for him, but was cut short when Neji flew across the room at her.

"Mmnn!" mumbled TenTen again, as she got pinned against the floor.

_'Or we could do this for a while!'_ thought TenTen as they continued to tussle about passionately.

Gai smiled to himself as he heard what was happening on the other side of the room.

_'Ahhhh...young love...'_ said Gai sighing to himself.

"..."

_'I wonder how my rival Kakashi is doing?'_ thought Gai as he smiled to himself, thinking about his rival/teammate.

--

As for Team Kakashi, nothing interesting really happened at all.

So let's just skip to the next part...

"Excuse me?!" said Kakashi pissed at me.

What?

"Nothing interesting?!" said Kakashi offended.

"Are you saying that I am not interesting?!" asked Kakashi showing that he was pissed at me.

No, I just want to get to the next part...

"You liar! Why don't you just say it to my face you ingrate!" said Kakashi angrily while crossing his arms.

Excuse me? It was not necessary to call me an ingrate...

"Fine, it wasn't, but still, your just a lazy typer!" accused Kakashi.

No! I'm not lazy, in fact, I have a lot of school work that I should be doing right now instead of this!

"Fine, but still, something interesting happened, and you are making the readers miss out!" accused Kakashi again as he gave me another more accusing look.

Okay then, tell me one interesting thing that happened.

"..."

There was silence...

"God damn it" said Kakashi as he closed his eyes in defeat.

"What?! I didn't close my eyes in defeat!" exclaimed Kakashi as he pointed at me.

"You're making things up!" accused Kakashi.

No I'm not.

"Yes you are!" retorted Kakashi.

Suddenly Kakashi stripped to his boxers and danced around singing the Peanut butter Jelly song.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Kakashi.

"That didn't happen!!" screamed Kakashi in protest.

"I'm just standing here doing nothing!" complained Kakashi as he crossed his arms.

"What's going on?" asked Kurenai as she walked in from the left.

"Nothing that concerns you, so just go back to bed." said Kakashi as he turned back to me.

To bed!? Oh, your hiding something! Something interesting DID happen!

"No! No! Nothing happened!" said Kurenai defensively.

Maybe I should tell the readers what happened...

"NO! No you shouldn't!" said Kakashi.

"Just go back to Team Naruto's cave and leave us be!" said Kakashi as he stormed off.

...

"..."

"I guess I'm going too" said Kurenai as ran after Kakashi.

...

Fine, anyways, back to the story.

I will try to make sure that doesn't happen again...

--

Back at Team Naruto's cave, Naruto was preparing to call the other teams to tell them that their time was up.

Naruto was still holding Hinata, and Sakura was still tired.

They both sat there in silence, but then suddenly Naurto's watch beeped, which woke up Hinata.

"Ugghhh...Is...frieblemmmm" said Hinata as she came around.

"Hinata? are you okay?" asked Naruto worried for her health.

"Sofa King Lazy..." mumbled Hinata as she regained consciousness.

_'Ummm... What happened...'_ thought Hinata.

_'It had something to so with a bag...'_ thought Hinata as she pondered about it.

"(gasp)" gasped Hinata as she remembered what had happened earlier in the dark.

She blushed, and then tried to get up to find Naruto. When she tried to get up, something warm and comforting was holding her back by just below her chest. She looked down to see Naruto's orange sleeves. She now realized the position she was in and blushed even deeper.

"Hinata, are you alright?" asked Naruto again as he put his head up to hers.

Hinata felt Naruto's breath going down her neck as she went into Naruto overload.

_'Na...Naruto i-is h-holding m-me...s-s-so...c-closely.'_ thought Hinata as her face practically glowed red.

Naruto leaned forward to look at her face to see if she was alright, and accidently brushed his lips up against her cheek.

"Nyaah!" squeaked Hinata as she bounded away from him and smacked against the other side of the cave. Naruto had no idea why she jumped away from him like that, but decided that it must have been because they were too close.

"Sorry Hinata, I didn't mean to do anything wrong!" pleaded Naruto as he apologized.

She slowly regained her composure, and then kept glancing from the floor to Naruto.

"I-it's...it's okay Naruto, y-you just k-kind of s-scared me." stuttered Hinata as she shuffled her feet around, embarassed in front of Naruto.

Naruto was about to continue his conversation with Hinata, because he wanted to ask her what she wanted to say back at the hot springs before he was summoned away by Hiashi, but was interupted by Sakura.

"I thought that you were going to call everyone to tell them that break-time was over." said Sakura as she gave him a tired look.

"Oh yeah..." said Naruto, dissapointed that he didn't get to finish his conversation.

"Team Kakashi, your time is up, it is time to get going." said Naruto as he talking into the CBU.

"Copy that, I will start to get everyone up, but team Gai will be hard to contact on a count of Gai's snoring." said Kakashi, joking about the Jounin's sleeping habits.

Naruto chuckled to himself and Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Well, time to get going." said Naruto as he motioned for Sakura to stand up.

"Grrr..." groaned Sakura as she slowly stood up.

"Yeah, time to go." said Hinata as she went to move behind Naruto so that he could dig.

But when she moved she lazily shuffled her feet, and she tripped over a root.

"Eeep!" said Hinata as she spun and slammed into the wall sideways.

"Hinata!" said Naruto as he went to go and help her. But he stopped short when he saw the marks she left on the wall. When she spun she made two lines with her fingernails that connected to the imprint that she made with her head. Naruto stared a the imprint for a second, and then quickly went to help Hinata.

Hinata was slowly getting up, and Naruto came to give her a hand.

"Are you okay?" asked Naruto politely as he leaned down to her face so that he could check for a head injury.

She blushed a deep scarlet and flew onto her feet.

"I'm...I'm fine, r-really." assured Hinata as she stared at the ground in even more embarressment.

She then went to move towards Sakura so that she wouldn't be as embarressed, but she bumped her head on a low point on the ceiling. She flipped around in suprise and held onto her head in pain as she fell over into Naruto. She grabbed onto Naruto to stop herself from falling, but she accidently pantsed him.

"..."

Hinata was face to face with Naruto's boxers.

'So that's what he looks like without his pants...' thought Hinata as sat on her knees, she then stood shocked at her position, it looked as though she were in certain...more intimate position...

Her face turned a majestic shade of Aubory as she flew back behind Sakura in a flash.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!! " pleaded Hinata as she bowed her head repeatedly.

Naruto just stood there in shock, but realized that there were two girls in the room, so he quickly pulled his pants back up in embarressment.

_'He probably thinks that I'm some kind of pervert! Especially after what happened earlier!'_ thought Hinata as tears came to her eyes.

'I'm such a failure...' thought Hinata as she dropped to her knees crying.

Naruto observed all of this, and it made hm feel extremely guilty.

_'Oh great, now she's crying! I'm such an idiot!'_ thought Naruto as she ran over to her.

"Hinata it's okay! It was just an accident! No biggy!" assured Naruto as he kneeled down to he.

"N-n-no b-biggy?" stuttered Hinata as more tears flowed down her face.

_'Naruto forgave me just like that?! After what I did to him?'_ thought Hinata as she finished crying.

Naruto leaned in and wiped the tears from her face as Hinata blushed deeper from the contact and the kindness.

"N-Naruto..." said Hinata as she hugged him.

--

Next time: Onward, and Rasengan!


	12. Onward and Rasengan!

My Heart's Lavender Eye

_**My Heart's Lavender Eye**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

(I will warn you now, this chapter is all soap-opera-ish, but it has to be done to further the story, but don't worry, it will get better next chapter, after all of the DRAMA!! Bum Bum Bum...)(This chapter is huge!)

_**Chapter : 12**_

**_Onward and Rasengan!_**

Then Hinata leaned and and hugged Naruto.

Naruto was shocked from Hinata's sudden hug, and to be frank, so was Hinata.

_'Wow! I'm hugging Naruto!'_thought Hinata as she held him close.

_'I did it! I'm ACTUALLY hugging Naruto!'_ thought Hinata happily.

She felt like nussling her cheek into his face, but decided that it would be too girlfriendish, and she didn't want to come off as some slutty chick.

Naruto was froze in place from Hinata's hug, and he wasn't sure what to think.

_'Hi...Hinata...'_thought Naruto as he bravely hugged her back.

"(Soft gasp)"

Hinata gasped quietly as she felt Naruto hug her back. She was sure that she was red all over from blushing, but this was the most relaxed, happy, and content she had ever been since they last hugged in Tsunade's office.

"(sigh)"

Naruto and Hinata sighed happily at the same time, and they both instantly broke apart to look at each other.

_'Did he just...' _thought Hinata.

_'Did she just...' _thought Naruto.

They had both heard each other sigh happily, and were both about to ask each other why they did, but they were rudely interupted.

"Ahem..." said Sakura abruptly, which broke them apart.

They both blushed as Naruto quickly retreated to the end of the cave.

"Well, we had better get started..." said Naruto as he faced the wall, still blushing.

But when Naruto went to look back to make sure that the two were far enough back, he saw the imprint in the wall that Hinata had made before when she tripped.

"Hmmm..." said Naruto as he walked towards the imprint.

He then reached out and drew a third line to match the other two Hinata had accidently clawed into the wall.

"Hey..." said Naruto as he looked at it again.

"It lookes just like the plan I drew out before" said Naruto remembering the stuff he drew on the map.

"It even has the spiral, because Hinata was _spinning_when she hit...the...wall..." said Naruto as he had a look of realization on his face.

"Wait a minute..." Naruto then started drawing equations on the wall next to the imprint.

"Naruto...What are you..." asked Sakura, but was cut off by Naruto putting his hand up to silence her.

"Shhh!" shushed Naruto as he continued to draw.

_'Hinata's head hit the wall spinning, just like my Rasengan!'_ thought Naruto as he drew out an equation.

"When my Rasengan is in stage 3, it is about a foot wide, but if I go back to stage 2 where all of the energy isn't able to be contained, then it leaves a mark that is about 3 feet wide..." said Naruto as he looked at his hand.

Hinata looked like she was going to speak up, but Naruto held up his hand again to slience her.

A little put down by Naruto silencing her, Hinata turned to Sakura and whispered "What's a Rasengan?"

Sakura looked at Hinata in suprise that she had never seen Naruto do the Rasengan before.

_'Boy is she in for a suprise!' _thought Sakura as she smirked at her in response.

Hinata blinked at Sakura, the returned her attention back to Naruto, who was still babbling on about something while drawing it on the wall.

"If I make the height and width of the cave is 8 feet, and the Rasengan is 3 feet in stage 2, then I need to increase the power of my chakra to about 2 and 2 thirds times the normal capacity to make it the right height."

"But if I am going to make it big enough, then I need to take the amount of miles times the height of the Rasengan, and if the power I generate is 1/3 of the stage three Rasengan I create with that amount of Chakra, and I use the power of refraction to sharpen the power to a steady beam, then It will carve a tunnel to meet directly 8 hours from the other side, this way all three teams could get there in just about a day without using any chakra!" finished Naruto as he turned to gauge the girl's responses. When he turned to look, all he saw were two open-mouthed wide-eyed girls.

"Um...WOW..." said Sakura as she put her hand on her head in confusion.

Hinata was shocked at how clever Naruto was, but brought herself out of her stupor to look at his equation.

Naruto was smiling to himself for his cleverness, but suddenly Hinata broke him out of his ego-inflated state.

"But Naruto-kun, you didn't add in height to your equation, this...Rasengan...of yours would appear above the ground, and it would easily reveal our current position." said Hinata matter-of-factly as she smiled at him.

Naruto blinked once at Hinata because she added the -kun suffix to his name, and then looked at his diagram. (Adding the -kun suffix to a name can mean that the person you are reffering to is a good friend, or you are affectionate with them.)

Naruto blushed as he read through his equation.

"Your...your right Hinata!" said Naruto incredulously as he stared at the error in his equation.

"Why didn't you tell me you were so smart?" said Naruto as he gave her his trademark smile.

Hinata smiled while blushing and stared bashfully at the floor.

"Th-thank y-you N-Naruto-kun." stuttered Hinata who was now in a very good mood.

"Alrighty then! To account for this error, I need to burrow down at least 25 meters before I can safely start my stage 3 Rasengan, then an extra 20 meters for when I go stage 3 at an upward angle of 30 degrees. This way, the teams will only have to dig over about a mile before they get to my tunnel that my Rasengan will make." finished Naruto as he looked over to Hinata to see if she objected, but when he looked at her, she was smiling and nodding in approval while blushing up a storm.

_'N-Naruto...actually values my opinion?!' _thought Hinata as she smiled happily to herself.

"Okay then, if my calculations are correct, I will only have just enough chakra to perform such a powerful jutsu." said Naruto as he picked up his CBU.

He tuned into frequency 7.

"Team Kakashi full stop immediately!" commanded Naruto.

He waited a few seconds to let them stop burrowing, and then tapped his feet waiting for a response.

"Naruto, what is it?" asked Kakashi.

"How much chakra have you used so far?" asked Naruto

"Barely any, it has only been a few minutes since you got us up remember?" said Kakashi plainly.

"Heh...oh yeah, it seemed like longer" said Naruto while he thought of what happened with Hinata. He blushed and continued what he was going to say.

"Remember to call Team Gai and relay them this message." said Naruto as he closed his eyes.

Kakashi listened in closely, because whatever Naruto was going to say, it sounded important.

"Tell Team Gai to head right at a forty five degree angle for about a mile from the point they are at, and then they are to wait there for our team." said Naruto as he opened his eyes again.

"Okay, but why..." asked Kakashi as he was cut off by Naruto.

"I want your team to head for the exact same point that I told Team Gai to wait at as well." finished Naruto as he crossed his arms.

"But why..." started Kakashi but Naruto cut him off again.

"Once all three teams meet at this point, I expect that you and Kurenai will be able to lead the group from there." said Naruto in a kind of sad, yet serious voice.

Kakashi then suddenly realized what Naruto was getting at.

"Naruto...is there some reason you won't be able to make it?" asked Kakashi who now sounded worried.

"Good bye Kakashi, you were always a great teacher, and at some points you were almost like a father to me." said Naruto as he sounded sad.

"N-Naruto... What are you..." started Kakashi who now sounded more than worried.

As Kakashi talked, you could here voices from the background.

"What is he talking about?" asked Kiba.

"What's wrong with Naruto Kakashi? What is he talking about?" asked Kurenai who sounded worried as well.

"I have one more message for you to give to everybody on this mission...Tell everyone that they were the best friends a guy like me could ever hope for." choked Naruto as he started to have tears in his eyes.

"Naruto! Don't talk like that! What happened?!" asked Kakashi nervously.

"End transmission" said Naruto sadly as he opened up the back and took out the batteries, cutting off all communication.

"Here Hinata, I can trust you to keep these safe." said Naruto as he threw her the CBU and batteries and turned to face the wall, wiping the tears from his face.

"N-Naruto, w-why did you tell everybody those things?" asked an extremely worried Hinata.

"Yeah Naruto, what's wrong? There's something you're not telling us!" said Sakura angrily and yet in a worried voice.

"(sigh)"

"Orochimaru's body will exceed it's three year mark in two days..." said Naruto as he looked down at the ground.

"At the rate we have been going, we won't get there in time, and Sasuke will be Orochimaru's vessel before we even arrive."

Both of them gasped as they heard this new information, and Sakura now had an extremely sad look on her face.

"Sasuke..." whispered Sakura as tears welled up in her eyes.

She still loved the boy who stole her heart, and she would do anything to remove the Curse Mark Seal and set Sasuke free.

"Naruto-kun, I...I s-still d-don't know w-why you t-told everyone all of th-those things." said Hinata with an extremely sad and equally worried look on her face.

"It...it s-sounded like you were saying g-goodbye" said Hinata who felt heart-broken to even think that Naruto could ever be gone forever.

"To tell you the truth, the amount of chakra I'm going to use, will either kill me from Chakra depletion, or cause me to incinerate from the massive amount of pressure I'm going to be creating." finished Naruto as he turned to face the wall.

"(gasp)" said Sakura and Hinata.

"Na...Naruto you...you can't..." gasped Hinata.

"I can." said Naruto as he stared at the ground.

"Naruto, I want Sasuke back more than anything, but not if it means you dying!" pleaded Sakura.

"Sakura...You have been a great ally, and to tell the truth, I never really liked you as a girlfriend" said Naruto as he continued to passively stare at the ground.

"In fact, I always thought of you as a sister..." choked Naruto as he stared at the ground.

"Naruto..." whispered Sakura as she stared at her teammate sadly.

"I guess the only reason I kept asking you out was just because you were a girl that was wanted by other guys, so I just chose you as a kind of prize to be sought after...I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way by telling you that." said Naruto as he flew through some hand signs.

"Naruto...I...I understand...But you still can't do this!" pleaded Sakura again.

"Naruto-kun...please...don't..." said Hinata with tears in her eyes as she stepped forward.

Naruto turned and looked into her deep Lavender eyes. He felt his heart get torn at the sight of Hinata so sad, and couldn't stand to see her this way.

Naruto quickly turned away from her, and finished his hand signs.

"Hinata...You are the best friend I have ever had, and if I die, I will be watching you from the heavens...But I just want you to know...I will miss you most of all..." said Naruto as he choked on his tears.

Hinata was now in full-blown sobs, tears pouring down her face..

"NARUTO NO!!" screamed Hinata as she moved forward.

Sakura suddenly recognized the chakra signiture of the technique.

"(gasp!) Hinata no!" said Sakura as she grabbed Hinata's arm and jumped as far away as she could.

"Raikiri!!" shouted Naruto as lightning burst from his hand.

He slammed his hand into the ground and started to make a huge crater around himself.

"Chirping of One thousand birds!" screamed Naruto as he ripped straight down through the ground and out of sight.

Hinata looked to where Naruto was to see a huge crater with a blue glow coming up from below, she looked to Sakura to see that she had been knocked out when she pulled her out of the way.

"Now that I have dug deep enough, I can perform the Rasengan" said Naruto sadly to himself as he spun Chakra into his hand.

_'Bigger.'_thought Naruto.

He slowly increased the orb to about the size of his body.

_'Bigger!'_thought Naruto as he made it twice the size in one huge spike of power.

"Bigger!!" screamed Naruto as he held the huge chakra orb in front of him, the roar of the chakra was immense.

The chakra orb was now so large, that Hinata and Sakura could see the top of it.

_'Wow, that's the Rasengan!?'_thought Hinata, who was amazed at such a powerful technique, but was immediately snapped out of it when she remembered what Naruto said the technique could do to Naruto.

"Naruto-kun you can't!" screamed Hinata over the roar of Naruto's chakra breaking through rock.

Suddenly Naruto's chakra increased it's power output and the Rasengan increased it's density and destructive power, while at the same time, decreasing it's size.

"Naruto no!! You can't!!" screamed Hinata as she ran forward to stop him..

Naruto then increased his chakra to maximum output.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!" screamed Naruto as he forced all of his chakra into the orb.

The power was so immense that the pressure by itself pushed Hinata down onto her hands and knees.

_'Hinata...'_thought Naruto as he felt tears drain from his eyes.

Back up at the top of the crater Hinata could feel the orb reaching it's breaking point.

"(GASP!)"

"NARUTO PLEASE I..." screamed Hinata with all of her might.

Naruto heard her voice and felt his heart rip from knowing that he would be leaving her for good.

With Naruto's last bit of strength, he pressured the power so that it was all facing forward at the right angle.

_'Hinata...'_thought Naruto as he released his Rasengan.

"HINATA!!" screamed Naruto as he let it go.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!

There was a huge earth shattering sound and then there was a flash of chakra.

Suddenly, and as quickly as it all started...it was all over.

There were no sounds left, the Rasengan hed easily and quickly created a perfect hole for miles in the right direction. It was so long that you could not see the end.

In the aftermath, Hinata lay there sobbing on the ground.

She laid there for what seemed like forever in complete sadness, but in reality it was only about an hour.

"N-N-Naruto..." sobbed Hinata as she lay on the ground.

Suddenly she had a thought of hope.

_'Maybe he survived!'_thought Hinata as she quickly rushed over to the hole.

She knew that there was no way that anything could have survived that, but she would never know for sure until she looked.

She reached the edge of the pit and looked down to see an unconscious Naruto with his shirt completely disintagrated, and he had a huge spiral burn mark on his chest.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata as she jumped down the hole to see if he was alright.

_'Maybe he's okay...I hope he's okay...He has to be okay...'_thought Hinata over and over as she fell down the pit.

She landed rather harshly, but she didn't care, all she cared about was him.

"Naruto!" she exclaimed as she saw his body up close, it was even worse than she thought.

"H-He's not breathing..." gasped Hinata as she quickly kneeled down next to him to feel for a pulse.

"..."

"No..." thought Hinata as she fell onto his body.

"NOOOOOOOOO!!" screamed Hinata, until she barely had a voice left.

"He can't be dead... He just can't be..." choked Hinata as she cried onto his burnt chest.

Suddenly she heard a noise behind her, but she didn't care, she didn't care about anything anymore.

It was Sakura, who had just woken up.

"Hinata! Is he alright!?" exclaimed Sakura as she ran over to the two.

She then saw the look on Hinata's face.

She had her eyes closed tight and tears were still pouring out as her body racked uncontrollably in sobs.

"No..." said Sakura as she too started to cry.

Sakura looked at the once hyper and powerful blond ninja, to see that he would never be himself again.

Sakura looked over past him to see the cavern that he created that went on for what seemed like forever, but she was too sad to be amazed.

She started to dread on how she would never talk to him again, but she was interupted by a voice.

_'I...I can't live without him...'_thought Hinata as she took out a Kunai.

"W-what are you..." choked Sakura as she watched her take out the weapon.

"I can't live without him!!" screamed Hinata as she grabbed the Kunai with both hands and aimed striaght for her heart.

"No!" yelled Sakura as she leapt forward to stop her.

She barely got there in time to catch the Kunai in mid-thrust.

"Hinata no!" shouted Sakura.

"Let go!" screamed Hinata as she tried to push against Sakura so that she would still stab herself.

"I can't live without him!" cried Hinata as she looked Sakura in the eyes.

"I can't...I can't...I can't..." sobbed Hinata as she let go of the Kunai and fell to the ground sobbing.

"Hinata..." said Sakura sadly as she picked up a still sobbing Hinata, and out her under her arm.

She still had a mission to do, no matter what happened. She was trained to keep going in the event of death, but it still didn't make his death any less worse.

While she continued to mourn over his death, she picked up Naruto's body under her other arm, and rushed into the massive tunnel that Naruto had made with his last breath.

Sakura sobbed as she ran down the tunnel. She was going as fast as she could go, and she was getting exhausted from carrying two people, especially after such a long time.

It had been about 10 hours of straight running, and she was getting ready to collapse right on the spot, but suddenly she heard voices from not far into the tunnel.

It was team Gai and Team Kakashi who all saw her running towards them.

Sakura was relieved to see someone she knew, but just as she reached them, Sakura ran out of strength and fell to her knees.

She could barely stay conscious as the two teams ran up to her.

"Sakura are you alright?!" asked Kakashi worriedly.

Sakura didn't say anything in return, but instead just started to cry.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" asked Kurenai who ran up to them with the rest of her team.

Sakura dropped to her hands and let Hinata and Naruto fall to the ground.

She began to ball her eyes out as she grabbed the ground harshly with her hands.

They saw the two bodies and saw that Hinata didn't seem to have any injuries, and saw that Naruto had burn marks on himself.

Kurenai began to assure Sakura and tried to calm her down.

"Sakura tell us what happened!"said Lee as everyone closed in on her to see what was going on.

Sakura calmed down, and then tried to explain, but was cut off.

"Whoa! how did Naruto get knocked out?" asked Kiba incredulously as he saw his body.

Sakura then began to ball again as she fel back onto her hands.

"Kiba! You idiot!" yelled Kurenai as she continued to try and calm her down.

Sakura needed to get everything off of her chest, she just had to tell someone so that she could relieve some of the hurt she felt.

But every time she tried to talk, she would cry.

Sakura then took out a piece of paper and quickly scribbled out a note for them to read.

She was continuosly srying as she wrote, and was trying not to get tears on the paper.

She shakily handed it to Kurenai, and then she fell over and began to breath more slowly. She fell unconscious from the mental and physical strain on her body.

Kurenai looked at the letter then turned to everyone.

"On the top it says to read it aloud" announced Kurenai as she held the paper up to read it.

"It's quite roughly scratched on the paper, but it will do." said Kurenai as she cleared her throat.

"Naruto told us that Orochimaru had a deadline for his body, and that in a matter of days we would be too late." said Kurenai gasping.

Everyone looked at each other, shocked at such information, but they had to continue to listen.

"Naruto concluded that the only way to get there in time, would be for him to use his Rasengan at full power to make a tunnel to the other side of the land of the rice patties so that all the teams could get to Sasuke in time." said Kurenai as she looked up from the paper stunned.

"Na...Naruto made this!?" exclaimed Gai as he looked around the monstrously long cavern.

"WOW." said Shino simply as everyone looked around to realize that everything around them was Naruto's doing.

"The paper continues to say that Naruto would be risking his life to perform this jutsu." said Kurenai as she stared at the paper.

"Risking his life?" asked Kakashi as he moved over to read the paper.

"The Rasengan was so huge, that it was at least 30 times Naruto's size, and that with his last breath...he created this tunnel for us to complete our mission..." finished Kurenai as she looked over to see Naruto laying on the ground.

"No...NO!" screamed Kakashi as he flew over to check his pulse.

Kakashi hung his head over Naruto, and began to softly cry.

"Is..he..."asked Neji as he moved closer to Kakashi.

Kakashi slowly nodded his head, and then slowly got up to stand next to Kurenai.

Everyone began to cry for him, even Shino had to look away from everyone so that no one would know that he was crying.

"I...I can't believe he's dead" said Kiba as he started to get tears in his eyes.

They all mourned over the death of such a good friend, and it lasted for what seemed like a long while, until Kurenai spoke up again.

"There's...There's more..." said Kurenai as everyone looked up to her sadly.

"When I awoke from the blast, I found Hinata at the bottom of the crater, sobbing over Naruto." said Kurenai as she suddenly got a look of realization.

"(gasp!) Hinata!" exclaimed Kurenai as she shoved the paper at Gai and ran over to Hinata.

While they were looking after Sakura, and mourning over Naruto, they completely forgot about Hinata.

Hinata was still laying on the floor, but was shaking quite violently while silently crying her eyes out.

_'Hinata...'_thought Kurenai.

Practically everyone knew of Hinata's crush on Naruto, and they realized that his death must have hit her the worst.

Kurenai tried to talk to her, but all she would get in retuen, were shaking sobs.

It was extremely sad sight, to see such a nice girl get hurt in such a way.

Everyone was gathered around Naruto and Hinata, and no one said anything over the silence, until Gai spoke up.

"I will finish the rest, I think it is important that you hear it" said Gai, who had a serious look on his face.

Everyone turned their attention to Gai as he held up the paper and began to read it aloud.

"When I came down to them to ask if they were alright, I found that Naruto had no pulse." said Gai passively as he stared gravely at the paper. They all looked down at thier feet at the mention of Naruto's death.

"I wanted to see if Hinata was okay, but when I wen t over to her, she screamed that she couldn't live without Naruto, and tried to kill herself with a kunai to the heart." finished Gai as he looked up to see everyone look at Hinata.

Hinata was still laying on the ground, and she looked like she had practically given up on life all-together.

She was shaking uncontrollably on the ground repeating "I can't...I can't..." over and over.

Everyone gasped at Hinata and then rushed over to her.

"Hinata...You tried to..." gasped Kurenai as she kneeled next to her.

"Hinata...It's okay...It's all going to be okay..." assured Kurenai as she put her hand on Hinata's shoulder.

"No...I...I can't...I c-can't..." choked Hinata as more tears leaked down her face.

"He...he...N-N-Narutooooooo..." choked Hinata as she collapsed and began to sob uncontrollably again.

_'Poor Hinata, Naruto was everything to her, and now that he is gone, she is a complete wreck.'_ thought TenTen as she and Kurenai exchanged looks and noded to say that they were both thinking the same thing.

Mostly everyone was paying to attention to Hinata and trying to calm her down, while Kakashi, Lee, and Gai all sat down together facing away from it all.

"(sigh) I'm going to miss the knucklehead" said Gai as he held his head.

Lee was passively silent as he stared at the ground.

"Naruto..." said Lee sadly as he clenched his fists.

"He would have made an excellant Hokage." said Gai as the three all nodded thier heads sadly.

Kakashi was also staring at the ground, but had to keep brushing tears from his face.

It was a sad day, and it took a toll on everybody, but as they all mourned over the death of Naruto and tried to calm down Hinata to keep her from being so depressed, something was happening nearby that would change everything.

(Next chapter: A Short Funeral)


	13. A Short Funeral

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

**--**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

**--**

_**Chapter 13:**_

_**A Short Funeral**_

_**"Kit..."**_

_**"Hey kit..."**_

"Wha...Owww...My head..." said Naruto as he stood up.

"What happened?" asked Naruto as he looked around.

He easily recognized where he was, he was in the depths of his mind where the Kyuubi was held.

He turned to see the Kyuubi looking at him passively through his sealed cage.

"Kyuubi?! What's going on, and what am I doing here?" asked Naruto, a little peeved that he had ben dragged into the depths of his mind at such a time.

"I was kind of busy..." said Naruto angrily.

All Naruto could remember was that he had formed the Rasengan and then released it, and all he remembered from then on was blank.

"_**You almost died there kit..."**_ said the Kyuubi as he licked his paw.

"Almost died? I'm not dead?!" asked Naruto incredulously as he stared at the Kyuubi.

_**"No...You're not dead, but you had such a rapid chakra depletion, that I was forced to use my chakra to put you into a hibernative state so that you would survive."**_ said the Kyuubi as he examined his nails as though he didn't care.

"Hibernative? You mean like a bear?" asked Naruto, confused.

Kyuubi then rolled his eyes.

**_"(sigh) Yes Naruto, kind of like that."_** said Kyuubi as he rested his head on the ground.

"Well...if I am still alive, then why am I in this place?" said Naruto angrily.

_**"Because I want to tell you to be more careful with your chakra, you could have used even a small fraction of mine, and you would have been fine."**_ said the Kyuubi as he went to stand up.

But when he stood up, he hit his head on the ceiling with a resounding thud.

_**"Owwie."**_ said the Kyuubi scratching his head.

Naruto chuckled a bit, but stopped when he spoke again.

_**"About 12 hours have passed in the human world."**_ said the Kyuubi as he moved to the back of his cage.

_**"Assuming that you will heed my warnings about your chakra, I want you to keep the time in mind when you return to consciousness."**_ said the Kyuubi as he laid down comfortably in the back.

Naruto stood there for a second, then nodded his head as he turned around to leave.

_**"You had better hurry, your friends worry for your safety."**_ said Kyuubi as he blended in with the background.

"My friends...Hinata..." said Naruto as he stared wonderingly at the melting reality that was his subconscious.

Everything suddenly melded to blackness.

Naruto felt as though he were laying down, but didn't know hat had happened.

Naruto wondered where he went, until he realized that he was looking at the inside of his eyelids.

_'Oh...Duh...'_ thought Naruto stupidly as he opened his eyes.

He got up and found that his chest hurt alot.

"Ouch..." said Naruto as he formed a few handsigns.

"Regen no jutsu" said Naruto as his hand blazed with chakra.

_'Hmmm... after twelve hours I seem to have regained about half of my chakra.'_ thought Naruto as he healed the spiral burn mark on his chest. He took off the bits of shirt that were left over from the blast, and looked around for his bag.

_'Where is the stupid thing?'_ thought Naruto as he looked around.

He finally looked behind him to find Sakura who had his bag laid next to her.

_'(soft gasp) Sakura!'_ thought Naruto as he moved over to her.

She was still unconscious and it looked as though she collapsed from exhaustion.

_'Hmmm...she should be fine in a few hours'_ thought Naruto as he sat down in relief.

_'She must have carried me quite a ways...'_ thought Naruto as he looked at how far they had gone down his tunnel.

Naruto then took out an extra black and orange shirt that he had packed before, and quickly put it on.

_'I wonder where everybody is?'_ thought Naruto as he searched his pockets for his CBU.

_'Oh yeah, I entrusted Hinata with that.'_ thought Naruto as he looked around for the Hyuuga girl.

He suddenly got sad when he thought of her. The last time he saw her, she was crying and begging him not to perform his Rasengan blast thingy.

_'Hinata...'_ thought Naruto as he looked around for her.

_'I'm such an idiot! I probably worried her sick...'_ thought Naruto as he hit himself in the head.

He got up to look around some more, but when he did, he heard some voices.

He turned around to see that the entire group was huddled in a circle behind him, and they were all fussing over something laying in the middle.

_'Hmph...They don't look too worried about me...'_ thought Naruto as he walked over to them.

_'They just look sad...'_ thought Naruto worriedly as he walked up behind Kakashi.

"Kurenai, take Hinata over to the cave wall where she can sit upright." said Kakashi as he pointed to the farthest cave wall.

Kurenai nodded and picked up what was in the middle of the group.

It was Hinata, she had her eyes shut tight, and tears were still coming out as she was carried away by Kurenai, with Kakashi and Gai walking at her side.

_'Oh god! What did I do?! She looks like a wreck!'_ thought Naruto as he went to go over to her, but he stopped when he heard a voice from beside him.

"Naruto's death must have been harder on her than the rest of us" said Shino as he looked over to Kiba and Lee as they all faced away from him.

"Yeah, she had the biggest crush on the guy..." said Kiba as he stared at the floor sadly.

"Now that he is dead...I'm not sure that she will ever be the same..." said Lee as they all walked away from him and over to Hinata.

_'Dead?! I'm not dead! When did I die?!'_ thought Naruto as he watched everyone walk away from him, and over to Hinata to comfort her.

_'Wait...Hinata...had a crush on me?!'_ thought Naruto confused.

_'ON ME?!'_ thought Naruto incredulously as he scratched his head.

Then he thought back to all of the times when Hinata had been around him. She was always blushing, but now he realized that she was blushing BECAUSE OF HIM, and not because she always blushed. She was always nervous and stuttered alot as well, and now it was as clear as the group of ninja walking away from him that she liked him.

_'Oh my god!...I've been so blind...What she was trying to tell me...back at the hot springs...'_ thought Naruto as he hit himself in the head again.

_'She likes me...'_ thought Naruto.

_'SHE LIKES ME!! YES!!'_ thought Naruto joyously as he jumped up and down.

_'Wait what?!...I...I'm happy that she likes me?...Wait...'_ thought Naruto as he racked his brain for the emotion that kept tearing at his heart when he tried to ignore Hinata.

_'So...maybe it's love that I'm feeling...'_ thought Naruto incredulously as he held his heart.

He slightly chuckled in spite of himself and was suddenly very happy, and felt alot better than he ever had before.

"I'm...I'm in love..." said Naruto softly to himself as he smiled broader than ever.

"I...I have to tell her." said Naruto as he walked over to everyone. As he was walking over to them, he stopped short and thought to himself.

_'Wait! how am I going to do this?'_ thought Naruto as he stopped behind Kakashi again and thought about it for a second.

_'I can't just tell her, that would be stupid, I...I have to tell her exactly how I feel.'_ thought Naruto bravely.

He took a step forward, then in mid-step, quickly turned around.

_'Oh god I can't do it!'_ thought Naruto as he held onto his head.

_'I just do it later! Yeah that's it! But right now, I have to apologize to her that I made her worry.'_ affirmed Naruto as he turned back around and stepped a bit closer.

Naruto was about to talk to Hinata from behind Kakashi, but thought that it would be a little awkward.

_'Oh yeah, everybody still thinks I'm dead...'_ thought Naruto as he looked around at everyone.

He saw that Kakashi was extremely sad, and that he had been crying before, in fact it looked as though everybody had cried.

_'They...They all missed me?'_ thought Naruto as he smiled a bit to himself.

_'I can't believe they all missed me so much...'_ thought Naruto as he started to cry as well.

Then Naruto got a good look at Hinata.

_'Oh god...'_ thought Naruto in shock.

Before when Naruto saw her, she was farther away, and didn't look nearly as bad as she did now.

Hinata was curled up against the wall sitting upright. She was hanging onto her knees and was crying her eyes out.

She was sobbing uncontrollably and looked like she was having trouble breathing because of her crying.

Everyone was still trying to calm her down, but she just ignored them and kept saying "Naruto...Naruto..." over and over as though the words she was saying were all she had left of him.

_'Wow...'_ thought Naruto as he closed his eyes. He couldn't believe her state, but found it more believable when he thought of Hinata dying.

_'I would probably be the same way if she died.'_ thought Naruto sadly as he walked past Kakashi.

"Excuse me" said Naruto as he slightly pushed him aside.

He walked past everyone, ignoring thier astonished faces, until he got up to Hinata, he then stopped to stand in front of her, and began to apologize.

"Hinata...I'm sorry...for making you worry like that." said Naruto sadly as he kneeled down next to her.

Hinata slowly raised her head and opened her eyes to see the "_late man of her dreams"_ standing before her.

"Na...Na-Naruto?!"choked Hinata as she stared at the possible mirage in front of her.

She rubbed the tears from her eyes to look again.

"I m-must be d-d-dreaming..." choked Hinata again as she looked into his face.

"You not dreaming, this is real..." said Naruto moving in closer to her so that his face was close to hers.

"And so is this..." whispered Naruto as he kissed her gently on the lips.

She jumped in suprise, and then closed her eyes in what was either pure shock, relief, or maybe even ecstasy. Naruto slowly opened his eyes to see that Hinata had fainted in mid-kiss.

Naruto laughed a bit to himself and gently put her down against the wall.

'I...I kissed Hinata...' thought Naruto as he felt his heart jump in joy.

After that kiss, he felt great, he felt as though a huge burden had been lifted from him.

Naruto sighed happily as he looked at Hinata.

_'I'll have to take her out on a bunch of dates when we get back...'_ thought Naruto happily as he smiled at the thought of the two of them together.

_'But the hardest part will be talking to Hinata about our relationship.'_ thought Naruto as he held onto his heart.

_'Heh...That's going to be stressful...'_ thought Naruto as he turned to talk to everyone else.

But when he turned, all he saw were many open mouthes and wide-eyes.

Everyone was there. Staring at the living breathing Naruto.

They all looked too stunned to say anything.

Naruto smiled and walked past them, pushing Kakashi out of the way again.

"Excuse me" said Naruto as he smiled at his nonchalant-ness.

As everyone stared as he went over to the other side of the cave and opened his bag to get the map of the Land of the Rice Patties.

Naruto quickly pinned it to the floor with 4 kunai, and gave it a look.

He blankly stared at it for a momnet, and then had a wild realization.

"Oh my god! Hey guys! I think were directly underneath the Village Hidden in the Sou..." said Naruto, but he was cut off by a rush of white hair...and possibly porn.

"Naruto! Your alive! Thank god!" screamed Kakashi as he hugged Naruto and swung him back and forth. Suddenly Kakashi realized what he was doing and quickly put him down.

"I mean uh...(Ahem)"said Kakashi as he backed away from Naruto a bit.

"Almost lost my cool there..." muttered Kakashi as he smiled at Naruto.

Naruto smiled in return, but didn't get much time to say anything back, because relieved crowd of Ninja flew towards him.

"Ah! wait no!" said Naruto as he held up his hands in defense.

They all flew in and hugged him, giving him words of relief and happiness.

"We thought you were dead!" said Kurenai as she put her hands on his shoulder's.

Kurenai was knocked over and out of the way by Kiba as he put Naruto in a headlock.

"Nah! Naruto's too damn stubborn to die!" said Kiba as he let him go, but was flung to the other side of the room and into the wall by an angry Kakashi, who then helped up the pushed-over Kurenai.

"Naruto! I am so glad that you are alive and well!" said Lee enthusiastically as Gai smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, without you, this mission would be rather boring." said Shino mildly.

"You're one to talk!" shouted Kiba, who was still smashed into the wall the other side of the room.

Shino gave him an irritated look, then returned to look at Naruto and gave him what almost looked like a smile.

Neji and TenTen walked up to him and TenTen smiled and punched him on the shoulder kiddingly.

"Ahh!!" screamed Naruto as he fell to his knees.

"I almost die, and this is the treatment I get from you!?" exclaimed Naruto as he winced on the ground.

"Ah! sorry! I didn't mean to!" apologized TenTen as she went to help him.

Naruto suddenly and very quickly stood up before she got to him.

"Ha! just kidding!" said Naruto as he laughed at her gullibility.

TenTen was going to punch him on the head for that, but didn't have the heart after his first _death,_ and didn't want to risk another.

She just smiled and stepped back to stand close to Neji, who blushed a bit, then smiled at Naruto and nodded.

"Ha! You guys finally got together!" exclaimed Naruto as he pointed at the couple.

"About time!" said Naruto smiling.

Neji's eye twitched a bit then he sighed.

"Jeez, was I the only one who didn't know about this?" asked Neji to himself while putting his hand on his forehead.

TenTen smiled and hugged Neji so that they were closer, and she gave Naruto a look which said "Were glad you're back."

Naruto smiled in return, and looked past Kakashi and Kurenai who were kissing, to see...

"Wait What!?" exclaimed Naruto as he looked at the two.

They broke apart and blushed, but still stayed close to each other.

"Alright Kakashi!! You finally rangled yourself a gal!" said Naruto happily as he slugged him in the shoulder.

"I could say the same for you." said Kakashi pointing at Hinata who was still laying unconscious against the wall.

Naruto blushed, and to Kakashi's suprise, instead of arguing, nodded.

'So, he doesn't deny his feelings anymore...' thought Kakashi happily.

'He's really growing up...' thought Kakashi, remembering all of the times they had together.

Kakashi was so relieved that Naruto was back, and he had always thought that Naruto was kind of like a son to him...Which would make Iruka, being Naruto's father-figure of sorts, kind of like his brother...or something.

Kakashi sighed and decided that he would consider his family status with Naruto later.

Naruto smiled at the sudden self-confusion of Kakashi as he walked past him to Hinata.

He smiled at her beautiful form leaning peacefully against the wall. Her eyes were still puffed up from all of the crying she did, and from all of the stress she endured. He figured that she deserved some sleep.

He moved up to her small body and picked her up from underneath her arms and moved himself behind her.

As he leaned himself against the wall, he put Hinata's butt in between his legs, and leaned her back against his torso so that she would be comfortable.

When he got her into place, he leaned his head against hers, and prepared to take a nap with her, but didn't get far, because he was interupted by the voices of 9 ninja.

"Aaaawwwwwwww!!" said everyone mockingly as Kurenai even took a picture.

Naruto opened his eyes and gave them all a look of annoyance, but decided to ignore them as he snuggled up even closer to Hinata and wrapped his arms around her waist.

He went to close his eyes to get some sleep, but to his suprise when he got closer to Hinata, she snuggled back in return by quickly flipping over and hugging him, while curling up her legs around him. Naruto blushed as she did this, and blushed even more when she brought her face up to his and snuggled her cheek into his, and sighed happily.

"Hi...Hinata?..." gasped Naruto as he blushed furiously.

He got no response from her since she was out cold from the stress of Naruto _dying_. But he wasn't sure that stress was the overall cause of her unconsciousness. It could have been the sudden relief she got from Naruto being alive, or the shock from Naruto kissing her.

He smiled at Hinata as she continued to sub-consciously nuzzle against his face. He loved the feel of her skin, it was so soft, and so...perfect.

He had never noticed this before, but Hinata seemed to have perfect skin. He loved the feel of her on him, and the feeling of her cuddled up with him.

He felt so happy being with her, and being close to her. He just felt like seeing her happy, and kissing her for no reason aside from making themselves even more happy.

When he thought about it, all of the times she was near him, and she was unconscious or sleeping, she was always "touchy feely." Naruto blushed remembering what Hinata did in the trees...and in the clearing...and in the cave...

_'I have to remember to wear a belt when I sleep near her'_ thought Naruto as he blushed from the thought of Hinata's sleeping habits. As he was thinking about his, he felt himself getting aroused.

_'Oh crap! not now!'_ thought Naruto as he tried to resist it.

But as hard as he tried, he couldn't get the thought of Hinata being "touchy feely" out of his head.

Naruto blushed as the bulge in his pants grew larger and felt it push up against Hinata's stomach.

Naruto was sure that she could feel it, even if she was unconscious.

Naruto leaned his head away from hers to get a look at her face, what he saw suprised him.

She suddenly had a sort of naughty smirk, as her face flushed and she hugged him even tighter.

"Oh Naruto..." whispered Hinata sexily as she leaned in licked him.

Naruto's face flushed and he got even more aroused.

"Hi...Hi...Hinata?!" stuttered Naruto as he felt himself get completely red.

He looked around at everybody to see they were all red in the faceas well, because they were there to witness the whole thing.

"I'm uh...(ahem) gonna go and...well...yeah." muttered Kiba and he turned away and walked further down the tunnel towards where everybody's stuff was piled.

Shino and Kurenai followed him, and Lee followed Shino, because he thought that his bugs were interesting.

After they left, the rest of them that were there just stood there awkwardly.

Gai said something about following Lee to make sure that he didn't eaten alive by fire ants.

(It could happen.) And left quickly down the tunnel to join Lee.

Neji and Tenten both stood there staring at Hinata.

Neji was about to say something about Hyuuga decency, but was pulled away by TenTen.

"But...but..." complained Neji as he was dragged away.

"Come on Neji, we can go over to a more secluded area, and do that too if you wanted us to." said TenTen while blushing.

Neji stopped talking and stopped resisting, as he was walked to their group.

The only ones that were left were Kakashi and a still unconscious Sakura. Kakashi smiled and walked up to the two.

"You know, we all expect you to tell us what happened in the cave, but we'll let you two take a nap first." said Kakashi as he walked over to pick up Sakura.

As he was walking towards everyone, he turned back and winked at Naruto then walked over to the group and began to talk to them.

Naruto couldn't tell what they were talking about so quietly, but he got an idea when Kiba suddenly jumped up from the group and said "Hinata and Naruto sitting in a tree, F-U-C-K..."(CLANG!) Kurenai had stormed over and hit him with a frying pan.

Naruto face flushed and he gave Kiba an angry look and wanted to go over and hit him, but Kurenai already did that for him.

"Ow! Waddya do that for?!" asked Kiba while he scratched his head.

"If you don't know why, then you deserve it" said Kakashi as he took out some firewood.

"Yeah but...Why did she have to do it with a frying pan?!" excalimed Kiba as he continued to tend to his head.

Kakashi took the firewood and threw it into the air. He took out a Kunai and began to slice up the wood. They landed onto the ground in neat piles of small thin 2 X 4's. Kakashi picked up a few and quickly tied them together with some twine and made a foldable chairs that could fold up and fit in a backpack easily. He made a circle of them so that everyone could talk to each other, and Naruto was amazed at how fast he made the chairs.

_'How didn't he get splinters?' _thought Naruto as he watched the perfecty splinterless Kakashi flirt with Kurenai.

Seeing them together reminded him of his and Hinata's relationship.

"(sigh)" Naruto "relaxed" himself, and looked upon her delicate beautiful face.

_'I still need to tell her how I feel, but I hope she at least got an idea of how I feel from the kiss I gave her.'_ thought Naruto as he snuggled with Hinata.

When he snuggled with her, she snuggled in return by gently rubbing her face against his again. This was the most comfortable he had ever been, and he felt himself blush as he held her close.

He loved this moment, and hoped that it would never end, but being the most comfortable he has ever been, didn't help to keep him awake. When he was with Hinata he felt as though he were at peace with everything and everyone, especially her, and this combined with his love for her, forced him into a content sleep.

Back over at the circle, everyone sat in thier chairs watching them, and while they slept, Kurenai took more pictures with her camera.

"These are going to be great pictures, I'm glad I got this camera in time for the trip." said Kurenai as she turned it off so that it would save energy.

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Kiba as he quickly stood up.

--

end of chapter.

I hunger for reviews! I need to know what I need to change, or what to keep!

And I appreciate any optimistic reviews!

Hinata is my Home-girl!

"..."

"pie."


	14. Time to rest?

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter :14**_

_**Time to rest**_

"These are going to be great pictures, I'm glad I got this camera in time for the trip." said Kurenai as she turned it off so that it would save energy.

"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Kiba as he quickly stood up.

Kurenai was kneeling down by her bag, and looked up at the upset Inuzuka.

"Where did you get that camera?" asked Kiba accusingly as he stood over her.

"I got it from a friend of mine, he is always nice to me, and gives me good stuff for free." said Kurenai defensively as she gave him a "so what?" look.

"Oh... Okay fine, I believe you." said Kiba as he sat back down in his chair.

Kurenai thought for a moment.

"Why did you ask, did someone take your camera or something?" asked Kurenai curiously.

"No, I just wanted to make sure that it wasn't Tsunade's camera that had blackmail content of Hinata." said Kiba as he crossed his arms.

"What do you care?" asked Neji rudely as he glared at the dog boy.

Kiba gave him a loathing look, closed his eyes, and decided he would tell him anyways.

"If you must know, when I was growing up..."

"You're grown up?" asked Ten Ten skeptically.

"Grrr..." growled Kiba.

"Anyway, when I was growing up, I always had an abusive mother because of her drinking problem, so I never liked to stay at home. I was lonely and wanted a sister or brother, but she never had any siblings aside from me." said Kiba.

"What about you're older sister Hana?" asked Kurenai.

"..."

"Meh..." said Kiba with a shrug.

(Group sweatdrop)

"Anyways, I was lonely, so it was always nice to go on missions with Hinata, because I think of her as my sister of sorts." said Kiba as he opened his eyes.

"I always look out for her, or I at least try to." finished Kiba as Neji gave him a nod.

Neji then inadvertently snuggled with TenTen on their chairs, but nobody seemed to notice.

"Wow, in a canine family, I figured that the mother would be overly caring, and not abusive." commented Neji.

"Yeah, but it was the alcohol that did it." said Kiba with a sigh.

"Wow Kiba...I had no idea that your mom was such a bitch..." said TenTen who stopped talking immediately realizing what she had said.

"..."

Suddenly everyone was holding their breath and their faces were turning red.

"HAAHAHAHAHHAAAHAAHAA!!"

Everyone was cracking up laughing as Kiba sat there puzzled.

"What?! What's so funny?" demanded Kiba as he looked around to his fellow ninja who were mostly rolling around on the floor aside from Shino who merely stood there, and Naruto with Hinata because they were still sitting down.

"HAahuwaHAHAA!! MY...MY...MY SIDES!!" laughed Kakashi as he continued to roll around on the floor.

"What?! Tell me!" demanded Kiba again as he stood up.

Even Shino was now chuckling lightly.

"B-bitch!! Hahahe he...she...your mom...bitch! Hahahhaaahaaaa!!" laughed Kurenai as she braced herself against her chair.

Suddenly Kiba had a contemplative look on his face.

"..."

Everyone saw his face and stopped laughing despite how funny it was.

"...I don't get it..." said Kiba looking puzzled.

"hmmmmmnnnnnnphhhhh" muffled Kurenai as she held her hands over her mouth trying not to laugh.

"HAAhahaahaa!"

Everyone was back on the ground laughing again and Kiba still didn't have a clue.

Kakashi finally stopped laughing and walked up to Kiba to explain while everyone held their breath to listen.

"Kiba... Your family is all part of the human, as well as the canine family correct?" snickered Kakashi in the most polite manner as possible.

"Um... yes, we are all part dog... why?" asked Kiba suspiciously.

Kakashi muffled a stiffled laugh from Kurenai with his hand and continued to explain.

"So, when Ten Ten called your mom a bitch, the irony in it all is that she is technically a bitch." explained Kakashi, managing to not laugh.

"..."

"Yeah, my mom is a bitch... What of it?" asked Kiba with a confused expression.

"Hahaaaahaahahaha!!...Ho...ho...holy Crap!" screamed Kurenai as she pulled out her camera.

"I...I...Gotta have a picture!" gasped Kurenai, barely able to breath through her laughing.

She stood up and took a picture of Kiba with everyone behind him on the ground laughing.

Kiba still didn't know what was so funny, but whatever it was, she had a picture of it, and it offended him.

"Hey!" said Kiba as he reached out and swatted the camera from her hands.

"Hey!" said Kurenai as the camera flew across the cave.

Everyone watched in suspense as the camera flew through the air.

The camera made its way across the room and hit Naruto square in the face.

"OW! HEY!" shouted Naruto as he slightly sat up, rubbing his face in pain.

The camera bounced from his face and flew into the air.

When Naruto moved, he woke the sleeping form of Hinata, who was still hugging him on his lap. (Yaaaaaawn) She turned around and yawned as she sat facing away from Naruto, which he did not seem to notice.

The camera flew down and landed in her lap, then from there, it easily slid down into her pants.

Everyone sat there staring at what had happened, and nobody made a sound.

Hinata was too groggy and tired to notice, and just sat there with her eyes half open.

_'Oh great...'_ thought Naruto as he reached forward.

_'Heh...This time it's actually going to be me putting my hands down her pants!'_ thought Naruto jokingly as he pushed his hand down past her belt-line and into her pants.

Hinata's eyes which were once half open, were now wide open and doubled in size.

Naruto couldn't get a hold of the camera, and reached down deeper to get a better hold of the other side.

Hinata was red in the face and looked tensed up as she gripped the ground tightly with her hands.

Naruto got his hand around the other side of the camera and accidentally took a picture.

(chk!)

The flash of the camera traveled around the whole tunnel, and everyone was shocked stiff.

"..."

Everyone just sat there in amazement at what had just happened.

"Heh...oops...let's hope she was wearing panties!" said Naruto jokingly as he finally retrieved the camera from her pants.

"..."

Naruto looked around at the looks on everyone's faces to see that they all seemed to be in a dreaded suspense.

"What?" asked Naruto innocently as he held up the camera.

"It's not like she hasn't stuck her hand in my pants before!" defended Naruto.

Kurenai and TenTen put their hands up over their mouths, and Gai and Kakashi put a hand on their forehead and shook their heads.

Hinata was so red in the face that her skin tone seemed to light up the room a bit.

Everyone was still in suspense, waiting for Hinata to do or say something.

"What!?" asked Naruto irritatedly, as he looking around at everyone.

Hinata who was silent up to his point suddenly had a realization.

_'Naruto...my pants...wait...Naruto...is alive!!! Alive!!!!!'_ thought Hinata as her embarrassment and angst all quickly melted away at the thought.

"NARUTO!!" screamed Hinata as she flew around and hugged him.

Naruto blushed and stood there in shock.

"You...you were awake?!" asked Naruto incredulously as Hinata continued to put him in a bear hug.

She didn't hear him through her new-found tears of happiness, but knew that he had said something.

She tore herself away from him to look into his eyes. She saw the cerulean blue orbs gazing back at her and all she could see was his self-sacrifice and love.

She remembered what he did for them just to make this tunnel, and how important this mission was, so she couldn't help to be happy to see her favorite blond alive and well.

She thought back to all he had done for her, and for everyone else, and the thought alone caused her to be a bit more bold.

She quickly and passionately pulled her face close to his and gently kissed him on the lips.

Nauto could only sit there in shock.

_'Hin... Hinata?!'_ thought Naruto incredulously.

Naruto's thinking was disrupted by a sudden feeling in his chest. He felt an overwhelming love coming from Hinata, and an equally overwhelming love coming from him.

Naruto couldn't concentrate on anything other than the kiss, and he dropped the camera. The camera hit the ground and the flash went off.

They didn't care, they continued to passionately feel each other's presence as Naruto's hand moved down to her hips.

Hinata was barely hanging onto her consciousness, the emotions she was feeling were overwhelming, and her body and mind could only take so much for so long.

Naruto closed his eyes and deepened the kiss.

His tongue pushed past her lips and touched her tongue, wrapping around it playfully.

That was the last straw that broke her mental awareness.

Suddenly Hinata turned a stark red and started to fall to the side. Naruto felt her movement and caught her before she hit the ground.

Naruto looked upon her face to see that she had a happy look on her flushed beautiful face.

"Heh...I guess I'm a good kisser..." whispered Naruto jokingly as he leaned her back up against him.

_'If she keeps fainting every time we kiss, sex is going to be REALLY awkward...'_ thought Naruto as he blushed at the thought.

He realized he was thinking way too far ahead, and dropped the subject.

Everyone seemed to be relaxed, but couldn't keep their eyes off of them.

"They're such a cute couple!" exclaimed Kurenai as she hugged Kakashi and slightly shook him.

"Yeah..." said Kakashi as he escaped Kurenai to go over to the two.

"You know Naruto, if a person keeps fainting from an emotional overload, it can slightly effect the memory." warned Kakashi as he looked at Hinata, who was now trying to put her hand in Naruto's pants, but couldn't because of his belt.

_'Ha!'_ thought Naruto as he watched her try to get in.

"Wait What?! She could lose memories?" exclaimed Naruto as he waved his arms around in protest to what Kakashi said.

"Only temporarily, they would be brought back by a similar situation that would jog her brain to remember. It can happen with any form of large mental stress. The brain reacts to the stress like a cold to your body, so your brain tries to block it out. Basically, the memories are pushed to the back of the mind." said Kakashi as he shrugged.

Naruto looked awfully distressed.

"I'm not saying that she DID lose any memories, I'm just saying that she COULD lose some of her memories, and the memories lost would have to be recent." said Kakashi.

"But I doubt that would ever happen." said Gai.

"Right, so there is nothing to worry about." finished Kakashi.

"Oh...Gaaaah!!" said Naruto as he looked down at Hinata, she had undone his belt, and was fondling him.

"..."

"For god's sake..." said Neji as he put his hand on his head.

"Okay! How the hell?!" exclaimed Naruto as he took her hand out and buckled his belt back on.

Everyone turned away in embarrassment except for Kakashi who still wanted to talk to him.

"Heh...I had no idea Hinata was such a perv, makes me proud to know that you know how to choose em!" said Kakashi as he smiled.

"Wha... What?! Hinata is not a pervert!" exclaimed Naruto

"Fine, then she's a horn-dog." added Kakashi.

"A wha?...No! No she isn't! Hinata is a respectable girl!" assured Naruto.

"Yeah, the respectable girl with her hand down your pants!" said Kakashi as he pointed at his pants.

Naruto looked down to see that she already had her hand back in his pants.

"..."

"She's just doing this subconsciously, its not her fault, and she's not a pervert!" complained Naruto.

"Not a pervert? She just LICKED you a couple of minutes ago!"

"Wha... well, she... she could have been dreaming of ice cream!" defended Naruto.

"Yeah, blonde spiky-haired ice cream..." said Kakashi with a smile.

"But...you...she..." stuttered Naruto.

"..."

"Whatever! But Hinata is a respectable girl, and if you smudge her name, you will have my kunai shoved down your throat!" threatened Naruto.

"More like she will have your dick shoved down her thr..." started Kakashi.

"Kakashi!!" exclaimed Naruto.

Kakashi just smiled, and turned around to leave.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, and I'll make sure that THEY don't either..." said Kakashi as he walked towards the group.

Kakashi walked up to the group and stood in the middle, ready to give everyone a speech. Everyone sat there in their chairs in rapt attention, because it looked as though Kakashi was about to give them a very serious talk.

"Okay everyone listen up! Hinata's a filthy pervert, but Naruto doesn't want us to tell anyone..." began Kakashi.

"HEY!!" complained Naruto.

"Just kidding!" assured Kakashi defensively as he smiled at him.

Kakashi then motioned for everyone to gather closer, and he began to quietly talk to them.

Naruto pouted as he watched Kakashi carefully to make sure that he wasn't saying anything bad about her.

Naruto noticed that he had become very defensive around Hinata, and wouldn't let anyone speak bad of her. She laid there in his arms, as quiet and as peaceful as ever.

"(sigh)" sighed Naruto happily as he looked onto her innocent face.

_'I wonder what he is saying?'_ thought Naruto as he turned his attention to Kakashi who was standing at the center of the circle still talking to everyone.

Suddenly everyone got up and walked over to him and Hinata, and they all looked like they were concealing something.

"What are you guys doing?..." asked Naruto suspiciously as they all surrounded them.

"Grab him!" shouted Gai as Lee quickly slid underneath, then behind Naruto, and put him and Hinata into a full body hold.

"Hey! what the?!" exclaimed Naruto as he struggled to break free. Ten Ten and Kurenai then moved in with smirks on their faces. Ten Ten slipped something in to his pocket while Kurenai moved in so that she was close to his face.

"Wha...wait!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto gulped and tried to squirm out of Lee's grip.

"It is no use Naruto, I am too strong for you." said Lee as he continued to keep him from moving.

"Naruto, I want you to tell us everything that happened in the cave, and don't try to lie, Kakashi can tell if you are lying." said Kurenai as she smiled along with Kakashi who was watching him like a hawk. Kurenai stepped back to let Kakashi get a better view of him.

Naruto was about to protest, but was interrupted by a voice from behind them.

"Na...Naruto?"

Everyone turned around to see a teary-eyed Sakura standing next to Neji.

Everyone stood there in shock at the pink-haired girls sudden appearance.

"You... you're alive!?" said Sakura trembling.

Naruto simply nodded.

He had forgotten about Sakura.

After he acknowledged her, he then continued to try and break free of Lee's grip.

Sakura ran forward and flung herself onto Naruto.

"Naruto!" said Sakura as she hugged him and Hinata and Lee in one big hug.

"I... I thought... I thought you were... were dead..." said Sakura with a trembling voice.

"Yeah, so did I." said Naruto as he gave up on trying to get free.

Suddenly Sakura felt someone hugging her from behind. It was Gai.

"..."

"What is the matter with you?" sighed Kakashi while putting his hand on his head.

"What?! Everyone was doing it, and I don't like to be left out." defended Gai as he backed away from them and stood next to Kakashi who sighed at his "Rival".

Sakura backed away from Naruto and gave him a smile while wiping the tears from her eyes."Glad to have you back Naruto." said Sakura emotionally.

"Glad to be back... sort of." said Naruto as he tried to wiggle his way out, but to no avail.

"Wait, why is Naruto tied up?" asked Sakura as she looked for Kakashi to answer.

"He needs to tell us what happened in the cave, and we want it to come from him, not you Sakura." replied Kakashi.

"Why?" asked Sakura wondering why she couldn't just tell them.

"Because Naruto was the team leader, and his imput is the most valuable." replied Kakashi as he stared at Naruto.

Naruto was about to speak, but was interrupted by a cold voice.

"And the paper Sakura wrote us before was too vague, so we need a full description now." said Neji, with a stern look on his face.

Naruto didn't know about the paper, but knew that he still had some explaining to do whether he knew what they were talking about or not.

"Fine, if you want to know what happened, I can tell you." said Naruto as he closed his eyes.

"Me, Sakura, and Hinata were jumping through the trees towards our destination point, it didn't take very long to get there, and we didn't have any problems." started Naruto.

Everyone looked to Kakashi and he shook his head which meant that Naruto was lying to them.

"(sigh) Naruto, I said not to lie." said Kakashi sternly.

Naruto ignored him and continued.

"After getting to the field where we needed to burrow, I called you guys to tell you that we were in position, and we had no troubles there." said Naruto as he closed his eyes.

Everyone looked to Kakashi and he shook his head.

"You're lying Naruto, I'm not sure about what, but you are dodging around something, just make it easy on yourself and tell us the truth." said Kakashi sternly.

Everyone gave Naruto a bad look, and they started to whisper to each other.

Naruto gulped and continued.

"After we got to a certain point in the tunnel, we stopped to rest where nothing of particular interest happened." said Naruto nervously as he looked over to Kakashi pleadingly.

"(sigh) Naruto, your still lying, I can tell, you can't hide anything from me. Just tell us the truth before we have to use drastic measures." said Kakashi who reached his hand in to his pocket.

Naruto saw him reaching for something, and decided that Kakashi reaching for anything that was in his pocket was a bad thing.

"Okay! Okay! After we got past that point, I found that we could take a faster way to get underneath the Akatsuki, and that any other way would not get to Sasuke in time." said Naruto.

Everyone was looking at Naruto as though he were lying, but Kakashi didn't say anything.

"Okay, that was the truth, but you still haven't told us what happened before." said Kakashi as he pulled out some kind of blue liquid which was encased in a glass vile.

_'Poison?!'_ thought Naruto as he tried to get free again, but to no avail. He had to tell them something, but it had to be anything but the truth! So Naruto quickly blabbed something out.

"After I found this out, I told Hinata and Sakura good bye possibly forever and drilled the hole with a Rasengan blast of sorts, which afterwards, I fell into unconsciousness." said Naruto quickly under the pressure.

Everyone suddenly looked shocked and sad at hearing that Naruto had said goodbye forever, but they still all looked to Kakashi who shook his head.

"Naruto, that was the truth, but you need to tell us what happened before, in the trees, and in the clearing, and in the tunnel that you are dodging around." said Kakashi as he popped the cork of off the top of the vile.

"Or else." said Kakashi as he moved closer.

Naruto was flustered, he didn't know what to do.

_'I... I can't tell them the truth, but... but I'm no use to this team, or anyone if I'm dead!'_ thought Naruto as he knew couldn't break free, and there was no other option.

Kakashi came closer to Naruto's face, ready to pour the liquid down his throat.

"Hinata stuck her hand down my pants!" screamed Naruto as thought it was the last thing he were ever going to say.

Kakashi was so surprised that he almost dropped the bottle.

"She did it like, seventeen times, all on different occasions! In the trees, in the clearing, and in the cave! She was unconscious from running into a tree, and I carried her, but she kept fondling my junk man! It's not my fault! Now let me go! That's the truth I swear!" screamed Naruto quickly as Lee, in surprise, let him go.

They all looked at Kakashi incredulously and he just sat there with a surprised look on his face.

"He's... he's telling the truth..." said Kakashi as though he didn't believe his own truth detecting skills.

Naruto had Hinata bridal style and she was still hugging him quite happily.

But Naruto did not mimic her happy face, his face looked sad and mistreated.

Naruto quickly stood up.

"THERE!!! SATISFIED!?!?" shouted Naruto.

He ran a ways down the cave and sat down against the wall so that he could be away from everyone.

There was a silence among the group, as they all looked down the cave into the dark where they couldn't see, and they knew that Naruto and Hinata were there.

"Oh great, now I feel like an asshole..." said Kakashi as he put the vile back into his bag.

"Honey, you are an asshole." said Kurenai as she put a hand on his shoulder.

_'Well, if it isn't the wind beneath my wings...'_ thought Kakashi sarcastically.

Everyone went to the circle of chairs and sat down.

"(sigh) We didn't mean to put him on the spot like that, but it is ninja code to have an update from the team leader if a sequence of the mission is completed." said Kakashi as he sat down into his chair next to Kurenai.

"We have to say that we are sorry." said Gai as he crossed his arms.

"I agree." said Lee as he mimicked Gai.

"We all agree, and we all care for the knuckle head, but we still need to give him a psychiatric evaluation." said TenTen as she and Kurenai nodded.

"A psychiatric evaluation? For what?!" asked Sakura incredulously.

"Well, Naruto has been through a lot lately with Hinata, and aside from that, it doesn't help that he was raised by a man who grew up without parents, two super-perverts, and a raging alcoholic gambler." said Ten Ten who had successfully listed off all of Naruto's parental guardians.

"You know, this tunnel carries sound a long ways, I can hear everything you were saying..." said Naruto who had suddenly appeared next to Kakashi.

They all sat there looking surprised and yet sorry, so Naruto spoke up.

"Don't worry, I heard everything... and I forgive you." said Naruto as smiled at them.

Everyone felt better about themselves, except Ten Ten who was still looking him up and down.

"I don't know, I still think he needs an evaluation." said Ten Ten who looked worried.

"Whatever, aside from his love-troubles with Hinata, I say that he is fine." said Kakashi who was in fact a master of psychiatric ninjutsu and medical treatment.

There was a silence that followed, as everyone recognized Kakashi's talents and decided to drop it... except Sakura. who suddenly stood up.

"Wait what!? Naruto and Hinata?!" exclaimed Sakura as she looked over to the blond who could only smile sheepishly.

Sakura suddenly got an angry face and advanced towards him.

"You jerk! First you scare me to death by making me think that you were dead, and now you are fondling Hinata!" shouted Sakura as she stomped towards Naruto who was backing away from her and towards the wall.

"Wha?! I'm not fondling..." said Naruto, but he looked down to see that his hand was neatly cupped around her butt.

"I'm not fondling..." said Naruto as he backed up against the wall.

"Don't give me that crap, I know you, and I know that you would give in to your temptations too easily, and with a sweet innocent girl like Hinata!" said Sakura who started to build up chakra in her hand.

"Innocent my ass..." whispered Kakashi to Kurenai who nudged him to shut him up.

"I would never fondle Hinata!" defended Naruto.

"Yeah right! You Liar! TAKE THIS!" shouted Sakura as she threw a swift but strong punch.

Right before the punch hit, Naruto used his flash step and moved into the middle of the circle.

(BAM!!!)

Sakura's punch created a crack in the wall that creeped up to the ceiling. The crack then started to form around into a circle.

Suddenly a huge amount of dirt and rock fell from the circle in a huge thundering roar.

"Everyone move!" shouted Kakashi over the rumbling of the rock and debree.

Everyone grabbed their chairs and used them to dig into the ground behind them and pole vault them-selves out of the way, Naruto quickly flash-stepped again and appeared next to Kakashi who was already well out of the way.

All of the debris fell and made a large pile of dirt and rock in the middle of the room.

The falling dirt created a large dust cloud that filled the entire room.

The dust began to clear from the dirt hitting the ground, and there sitting on a toilet in the middle holding a news paper was the one and only Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke had a really bewildered look on his face, and quickly reached down to pull up his pants.

"DUDE WHAT THE FUCK?!" shouted Sasuke as he zipped up his fly.

--

END CHAPTER

Hahahaaha! BITCH!

For those that didn't get that joke(god help you) it was funny because Kiba 's mom would be a female dog, which is the actual meaning of bitch!HAHAHA!

I hunger for reviews!

Tell your friends, to go to this random site to read and review!

When they ask why, tell them to fuck off, and don't be a pansy about it!

Ha! just kidding!


	15. Operation: Sasuke P1

_**My Heart's Lavender Eye**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way).

_**Chapter :15**_

**_Operation: Sasuke Part 1_**

Sasuke Uchiha himself sat in the middle of the pile of the dirt, with his pants down, sitting on a toilet with a newspaper in front of him.

Sasuke slowly moved the paper down, and saw the 11 Konoha ninja staring at his pants-less self.

"DUDE! WHAT THE FUCK?!" exclaimed Sasuke as he dropped the paper and pulled up his pants.

As he was putting his belt back on, Sakura walked forward to the side of the pile.

_'So...Uchihas ARE well equipped...'_ thought Sakura pervertedly.

She was stark red in the face at first from embarassment, but her embarassment was easily overcome by how much she had missed him.

"Sa...Sasuke..." stuttered Sakura while shaking a bit.

Sasuke finished putting on his belt, and looked up at Sakura.

Sasuke suddenly got a sad and yet passive look on his face, which showed Sasuke's regret, but with a shake of his head, was quickly replaced by an evil smirk.

"Ah, it's nice to see you all again, it's too bad I'll have to kill you all." said Sasuke dramatically, then he suddenly charged towards Sakura with a kunai in hand.

Sakura just sat there with a horrified look on her face.

_'Come on Sakura move!'_ thought Kakashi as he watched Sakura tremble emotionally.

"Sasuke...no..." pleaded Sakura as he continued to charge.

"Please...don't do this..." pleaded Sakura as her knees started to shake.

Sasuke smirked and flew in for the kill.

"(gasp)"

Everyone gasped at what had happened, because no one had expected it.

Sasuke had stopped the kunai inches from her face. He stood there trembling, with the kunai shaking in his hand.

Suddenly he dropped the kunai and grabbed onto his head.

"Ahhhhhh!!" screamed Sasuke as he fell to his knees.

"What the?" exclaimed Naruto as he ran forward to stand in front of Sakura.

"Noooo!! I...I...can't...do it!" said Sasuke as he slowly and shakily stood up.

As soon as Sasuke was on his feet, a chilly evil presence swept through-out the room.

The others felt it, it was full of murderous intent and evil.

Suddenly his face changed from sad and depressed, to manic and evil.

"Yes you can." said Sasuke in a harsher version of his voice.

Sasuke grabbed the kunai from the ground and lunged at Naruto this time, but he stopped short again.

"Noooo!! s-stop!" screamed Sasuke as he forcefully threw his kunai to the ground.

"Sasuke?" said Naruto questioningly.

_'Schitzo much?!'_ thought Naruto as he stared at Sasuke's impassive form.

Suddenly Sasuke froze in place and had a painful expression on his face.

Sasuke's curse mark seal on his neck suddenly crawled around his entire body.

His eyes which were shut tight in pain, were now wide open, and empty of human emotion.

Sasuke stood straight up and confident as he pulled out his katana from the sheath on his back.

"This resistance has gone on long enough." said Sasuke in a harsh voice again as he lunged forward and cut Naruto and Hinata vertically in half.

At the touch of his blade, they dissapeared in a cloud of smoke.

_'Shadow Clones?!'_ thought Kakashi incredulously.

_'When did they make shadow clones?'_ thought Sasuke as he looked around the cave.

"Shadow clones are nice, but you'll need more than that to stop me." said Sasuke overconfidently.

Sasuke stopped and looked around again, but found nothing.

"Hmm...Sharingan!" said Sasuke as he activated his sharingan.

_'Where are you?'_ thought Sasuke as he continued to look around the cave.

Suddenly a foot appeared almost to quickly for him to see in front of his face.

Sasuke ducked and the kick swung over him.

Sasuke quickly turned around to see Lee in his gentlemen's Taijutsu stance.

"Do not forget about us!" said Lee as Gai, Kurenai, and Kakashi surrounded him from the remaining sides.

_'I thought I would have enough trouble with just Naruto, but they brought three jounin along too?'_ thought Sasuke as he sheathed his katana.

"I can't take you all at once without using too much of my chakra, so I guess this is where I take my leave." said Sasuke like a _big fat jerk_ as he turned to jump out of the hole in the ceiling.

"Wait!" shouted Kiba as Sasuke stopped.

"Let me take care of this fool." said Kiba confidently as he stepped up onto the pile of dirt.

"What makes you think you can take ME on?" asked Sasuke meanly.

"Because I'm made of awesome!" said Kiba heroically.

"You don't even have a weapon!" retorted Sasuke.

"Well...I have this...err...umm...Ah! This cup!" said Kiba as he picked up a small drinking cup from the ground.

He took the cup and pointed it at Sasuke."Prepare to meet your..." said Kiba,but he was interupted by a sudden blur.

A giant spider flew out of the small cup and latched onto his face.

"Ahhhhh!! WHAT THE FUCK!? WHYYYYYY!?" screamed Kiba as he randomly hit himself against the wall to try and get the spider to let go.

"Huh...Big spider..." said Sasuke passively.

"Where do you keep COMING FROM!?" screamed Kiba as he tried to pry the spider from his face.

Everyone turned to help Kiba,but were stopped by a loud voice.

"Wait! don't help Kiba!" shouted Kurenai over Kiba's yelling.

"WHAT DO YA MEAN, DON'T HELP KIBA?!" shouted Kiba incredulously.

"Because he might..." said Kakashi as he looked where Sasuke had just been seconds ago.

"...escape..." finished Kakashi as he slammed his fist into the wall.

"Damn it! Our cover is way past blown!" exclaimed Gai.

"Oh really? Do you think?!" said Naruto sarcastically as he appeared in a flash of light next to Neji and TenTen.

"And where were you two?" asked Neji accusingly as he stared at Hinata who was still in Naruto's arms.

"Tap-dancing in a hidden underground water utopia, where do you think jackass?!" shouted Naruto at Neji who seemed a little take-aback that he had been called a jackass.

"We were hiding further down the tunnel, Hinata was at serious risk if I stayed, so I made shadow clones of us and went down the tunnel when the dust was kicked up from the hole Sakura made." explained Naruto who was annoyed that Neji had rudely asked.

Neji was about to retort, but TenTen nudged him sharply in the rib.

Neji looked questioningly at TenTen, but she merely gave him a look that said "drop it."

Neji closed his eyes to ignore Naruto and continued to make himself appear over-confident.

"..."

"Well, now that we have been ghosted, does anyone have a plan!?" asked Kakashi seriously.

"I...have a plan." said Naruto dramatically.

He pulled out a large scroll from his bag, and held it up for everyone to see.

On the top in big red letters it said:

NARUTO UZUMAKI'S PLAN TO DOMINATE THE WORLD USING RAMEN

"..."

"A battle plan!" exclaimed Kurenai who stared at Naruto unbelievably.

"Oh...Well why didn't you say so?" said Naruto as he threw that scroll aside and took out another one.

Everyone stared at the new scroll in dis-belief.

"..."

"H...how did you get that?" exclaimed Gai as everyone stared incredulously at the scroll.

It was a map of the Village hidden in the Sound, which was far more accurate than the map of the land of the Rice Patties which only portrayed the village as a dot.

"Tsunade has been secretly having Jaraiya sneaking into this village, and mapping it out for future invasions." said Naruto with pride in his voice.

"What did you think that giant scroll on his back was...PORN?!" said Naruto incredulously.

"Well...yeah." said Kakashi sheepishly.

"..."

Naruto ignored that comment and spread out the map on the floor.

Naruto then began drawing a complex array of lines, circles, and funny little drawings of each ninja where they were supposed to start their part in the plan.

There was a silence when Naruto finished, and everyone looked around at each other and nodded, which meant they all agreed with the plan.

"Any questions?" asked Naruto politely.

Neji slightly raised his hand.

"Yes Neji?" asked Naruto.

"...Why did you draw me with a large villianous moustache, and a hoola skirt?" asked Neji almost politely.

Everyone looked down to where Neji started, and there was his picture as he had described it.

"Huh...I didn't even notice that..." said Kakashi humurously, but was suddenly interupted.

"FOR GOD SAKE!!" screamed a voice.

Everyone spun around to the source of the voice to find Kiba, who was still trying to pry the spider from his face.

Akamaru was growling at the spider, but didn't go near it, in fear that it would bite him.

"Oh yeah." said Shino as he walked over to the spinning and twirling Kiba and and touched the spider gently on the back.

The spider went stiff and fell of his face onto the ground, and quickly scurried away down the tunnel.

"...thanks." said Kiba, who was a little ticked that nobody had helped him for such a long time.

Kiba walked up and looked at Naruto's plan.

"..."

"Naruto, I appreciate you coming up with such a great and elaborate plan, but did you happen to notice that you're plan has me going through A WOMEN'S CHANGING HALL?!" shouted Kiba, annoyed at Naruto for expecting him to do something like that.

"It's the only way, and I thought you would be MATURE enough to run through the place without stopping and staring..." said Naruto off-handedly.

"...Fine, but I still don't like it." pouted Kiba.

"Now that we have a plan we should get moving..." said Naruto as he threw Hinata a few inched up and placed his right hand on her butt so that he could get a better hold of her.

"But for your plan we need Hinata to be awake." mentioned Kurenai.

"I-I am awake..." said Hinata meekly, who was still in Naruto's arms.

Everyone looked down at her, and she sheepishly smiled back at them with a stark red face.

"..."

"How long have you been awake?" asked Naruto while looking down into her face.

She blushed from his direct attention, and sudden contact of both of his hands on her butt to lift her upright so she could stand.

"L-long enough t-to hear the whole plan." said Hinata while still furiously blushing.

"Why didn't you tell me you were awake?" asked Naruto.

"Because I-I...didn't w-want to in-interupt." said Hinata.

_'And I was enjoying that...'_ thought Hinata as she tried to stand straight in front of Naruto..

Naruto was scanning her up and down for any injuries, or oddities in her behavior...aside from the usual ones.

Hinata blushed at Naruto's gaze, and embarrassingly hid behind Kurenai and Kakashi.

_'What's wrong with her?'_ thought Naruto.

_'I thought that after I kissed her, she would be alot less shy.'_ thought Naruto, but figured that he could talk to her about it later.

There was an observant silence of everyone at Hinata's behavior, because they thought that they would be more intimate after their kiss.

"I wonder why they haven't tried to attack us yet." said Gai, observently breaking the silence.

"Yes, certainly a commotion such as that would have had the entire Sound Village in our midst." said Lee confused.

"They're probably just getting all of their best ninja together to take us out swiftly." said Kakashi seriously.

"Right, so we have to hurry if we are going to succeed with Naruto's plan." said Neji while crossing his arms.

"Right then, lets go." said Sakura who took out her orb and lit it.

They formed back into their normal groups, and stood at opposite ends on the cave.

"Tunnel no jutsu!" shouted Kakashi, Gai, and Naruto as they tunneled into the ground with their teams following closely behind them. The three teams eventually tunneled upwards and they all appeared on three opposite sides of the village.

--

Naruto's Team just reached the surface and they all sat there, waiting for Naruto to continue. They were standing so that Hinata was behind Naruto and that Sakura was to the right of Hinata.

Naruto suddenly reached his hand back and grabbed onto one of Hinata's breasts.

"Eep!" squeaked Hinata who jumped at least two feet, and blushed a furious red.

Naruto still hadn't turned around to look at her, but kept his attention on the village.

"Hinata, could you please hand me the CBU." said Naruto politely while he kept making a squeezing motion with his hand.

Hinata was frozen stiff from his touch, and didn't even move an inch at his request.

Sakura saw all of this and sighed. She reached over and took the CBU from her pocket and handed it to Naruto.

Naruto kept his attention forward and lifted the CBU to his mouth.

"Is everyone in position?" asked Naruto.

"Team Kakashi in position." said Kurenai.

"Team Gai ready and waiting." said Lee.

"Alright then, disperse!" said Naruto into the CBU, which signaled them to start his master plan.

Everyone went to their point of designation where they where to await the signal of Naruto.

Naruto sat there in waiting, and bided his time for Orochimaru or Sasuke to make an appearance.

"..."

Suddenly he heard a mass amount of shouting, and blades scraping against each other, which was accompanied by random smoke explosions. He could only guess that the fight had begun with the rest of his squads and that they were all in the distance. But he still had to wait for an appearance by Orochimaru for his plan to work.

"Looks like I'll have to draw them out." said Naruto to Sakura and Hinata.

Hinata still had not gathered herself, but she was none-the-less trying her hardest to cooperate.

Naruto then nodded for them to stay put, and jumped out into the village's main square which was laid directly next to Orochimaru's Tower.

"Heeellloooooo?!" shouted Naruto.

"Anybody home? We want someone you have..." continued Naruto as he walked to the center of the village square.

Suddenly the ground glowed a dark purple chakra in the shape of an advanced seal. The seal unbelievably took up the entire square.

_'I...can't...move...'_ thought Naruto as he struggled to break free of the seal.

Suddenly Orochimaru arose from the ground, and planted his feet firmly on the gournd a few feet away from Naruto.

"Inah! Kitse! Judo! Reveal!" shouted Orochimaru as he thrust his palm into the ground.

The entire seal glew brighter and brighter as the seal shrank in size, but grew in complexity as it drew in closer to Naruto.

"Ah! I can't break free! He did something to my chakra!" shouted Naruto in pain.

"Don't even bother trying to break free, the seal has almost done its job anyways." said Orochimaru in a seething hissing voice.

"We have to help him!" said Sakura as she jumped in towards Naruto, but before she could even hit the ground, she was knocked unconscious and chucked into a building like a ragdoll, where she laid unconscious on the ground.

Sasuke stood where Sakura would have landed with a smirk on his face. He had already evolved into his 2nd state, and was too powerful for Sakura to even see his movements.

"Hold them off Sasuke, the jutsu is almost at hand!" shouted Orochimaru as he began to form many hand-signs.

Kakashi, Kurenai, and Gai then flew out from different directions, and went for Orochimaru.

Orochimaru then finished his hand signs with a smirk, and rushed at Naruto, slamming his hand into Naruto's stomach.

"Release! Reveal! Be at my Hand!" shouted Orochimaru as his hand glowed with a ghostly chakra.

He then pushed the chakra hand into Naruto and began to pull out what looked like the Kyuubi.

_**"Hey! What the Hell!?"**_ shouted Kyuubi in protest, but couldn't do anything to rebel.

"Your power is mine!" shouted Orochimaru as he continued to pry out the Kyuubi's power.

Kakashi, Kurenai, and Gai all stopped in thier tracks.

"Damn it! if we interfere now, it could kill Naruto!" shouted Kakashi to the other two.

They both nodded and stood still, because all they could do was sit and watch.

Orochimaru looked as though he were actually going pull out the Kyuubi, but then something happened.

"What is this?!" seethed Orochimaru as he stared at the spirit power of the Kyuubi in his hands. It was starting to go back into Naruto, it was actually resisting.

_**"Being attached with Naruto gives me the power to help him release my chakra, but what would happen if I did the opposite of release?"**_ snarled Kyuubi.

"What?! You wouldn't dare!" shouted Orochimaru.

"I most certainly would." growled the Kyuubi as his power suddenly dissapeared from Orochimaru's hands, and back into Naruto.

Naruto had a stunned look on his face, which was then followed by painful one.

"AAAaaaaaahhhhh!!" screamed Naruto as he dropped to his knees.

Suddenly, such chakra bursted fom Naruto, that the power was bubbling from his skin.

"Kyuubi!! What are you doing!?" shouted Naruto through his pain.

_**"There were two choices, either give my chakra to THAT GUY...or to you."**_ said the Kyuubi simply as his spirit suddenly vanished fom Naruto's conscious in a flash.

"Aaaaahhaaaahhhhh!!" shouted Naruto again as he braced himself with his hands.

Naruto's ears then began to grow outward and upward, while his spine grew longer and shot outside of his body and flesh wrapped around it.

Naruto was in so much pain that he couldn't even shout anymore.

Suddenly, Naruto's body stopped transforming and short golden fur grew on his ears, and on his new tail.

He began to get to his knees, but couldn't move very well.

The three Jounin and two sound elite stared at the new form of Naruto in awe, he seemed to be glowing with some kind of power.

Orochimaru however, seemed to be exceedingly pissed off at what had happened.

"Damn you! That power should be mine!" shouted Orochimaru as he flew through some hand signs and flung himself at Naruto.

"Chakra Scythe no jutsu!" shouted Orochimaru as he stopped directly in front of Naruto and aimed his palm at him.

It seemed as though nothing had happened, but suddenly blood gushed from Naruto on all sides in many many lines and he collapsed to teh floor in a pool of blood.

"Naruto!" shouted Kakashi as he ran towards Orochimaru to strike him down.

Orochimaru snarled and flew through two complex hand signs.

He turned on his heel and slammed his hand into Kakashi's stomach.

"Five Prong Seal!" shouted Orochimaru as he spun around Kakashi and ran towards Kurenai and Gai, while Kakashi fell to his knees.

"He's moving too fast!" shouted Gai, but it was too late.

Orochimaru appeared in front of them and slammed his hands into both of their stomachs.

"Double Five Prong seal!" shouted Orochimaru as he pulled his hands from the two and let them drop to the ground as well.

It looked as though Orochimaru had won, but suddenly something happened that no one expected.

Orochimaru fell to his knees and coughed up a large amount of blood.

"W-what?!" sputtered Orochimaru as he continued to cough up blood.

He slowly looked over to Naruto's form on the ground.

"Hmmm, his chakra's pressure must have messed up my chakra flow when it spiked." seethed Orochimaru as he rose to his feet.

_'At least it didn't reach any higher, or it would have messed with my mind, or even my memory.'_ thought Orochimaru as he stared aggressively at Naruto.

"Sasuke, you need to grab Naruto so we can retreat." said Orochimaru, but when he looked over to Sasuke, he was shocked at what he saw.

Sasuke was in a small pool of blood, and was unconscious and untransformed from the loss of blood.

"Damn it! Naruto's chakra must have screwed with his chakra coils as well!" said Orochimaru angrily.

Suddenly Neji appeared next to Sasuke in a wisp of smoke.

"You may have been effected by Naruto's chakra, but we were too far away." said Neji confidently.

"We?" questioned Orochimaru.

Suddenly TenTen, Lee, Shino, Kiba, and Akamaru jumped out and stood in front of Sasuke.

"We made quick work of your first wave, and the rest retreated." boasted TenTen.

"What!?" seethed Orochimaru.

"I guess after we beat the Sound 5 all those years ago, you didn't have any more powerful ninja left." said Kiba as he crossed his arms in confidence.

Kiba seemed to be at the height of his ego.

"No, you are wrong Kiba, remember that geek with the glasses?" said Shino reffering to Kabuto.

"What? do you mean you?" joked Kiba.

"Shut up." said Shino.

While Kiba was laughing, something moved in the shadows.

Suddenly a blur swooped from the ground and took Orochimaru.

It was Kabuto, Orochimaru's right hand man.

"I guess we will have to fight another time..." said Orochimaru as he dissapeared from sight.

"..."

"Damn it! He got away!" shouted Kiba.

"Yes, but we can still complete out mission, we have Sasuke." said Neji pointing to Sasuke's form.

Kakashi slowly and tiredly walked over to Sakura and examined her body.

_'She should be fine...'_ thought Kakashi who was relieved.

"Everyone! Listen up!" shouted Kakashi in command.

Everyone stood attentive and at the ready.

"Search the area for important documents, and the remaining members of Orochimaru's army...as well as Hinata, we will all meet back here in 5 minutes." ordered Kakashi as he shuffled over to them.

"What happened to you?" asked Hinata, who came limping out of the shrubs with blood down the front of her shirt.

"Orochimaru sealed all of our chakra..." said Kakashi pointing to Gai and Kurenai.

"We can still walk, but we can't use any jutsus." said Kakashi as he stared at the ground in dissapointment of himself.

"Oh..." whispered Hinata as she limped over to Kurenai.

"What were you doing all this time?" asked Kurenai, who noticed that she hadn't moved from her starting point.

"Naruto's chakra pressure was too great, it actually smashed me against the ground." said Hinata who looked to be dissapointed that she couldn't do anything.

"It's alright Hinata, it wasn't your fault, and besides, we got the mission accomplished." said Kurenai with a weak Naruto style thumbs up, and then she pointed at Sasuke's unconscious body.

"Really? when did that happen?" asked Hinata, who looked confused.

"A few minutes ago, weren't you watching?!" asked Gai incredulously.

"I couldn't, my face was smushed against the ground most of the time and I couldn't move until Naruto's chakra suddenly stopped..." said Hinata who suddenly had a realization on her face.

"(gasp) Naruto!" gasped Hinata who searched around wildly for him.

She turned around to see his body, which layed in a bloody mess behind everyone.

Nobody had noticed Naruto, and they all had shocked looks on thier faces.

She had a shocked look on her face, and she began to build up tears in her eyes.

"NARUTO!!" screamed Hinata as she ran to his side.

He had lost alot of blood, and was on the brink of death.

"Oh my god! What the fuck happened to him?!" asked Kiba who ran next to Hinata.

"He has a tail...and ears!" said Kiba, paying no attention to Naruto's bloody state.

Everyone gathered around Naruto and gasped at his new form.

"...Wow..." said Shino.

"I'm a bug wielding freak and have seen many many things, and still...wow..." said Shino as he put his hand on his head in disbelief. He shook his head and turned towards Kakashi.

"Regardless of his transformation, he will die if we do not heal his wounds." said Shino, hinting Kakashi to heal Naruto.

"My chakra is sealed...but doesn't Hinata know a few healing jutsus?" asked Kakashi who turned around to see that Hinata had already healed most of his wounds.

"Wow...that was fast..." said Kurenai who was impressed at her student's medical progression.

"Please be okay, Please be okay, Please be okay..." chanted Hinata worriedly as she hovered over his body.(not literally)

"He has a pulse, but he's barely hanging on!" said Kakashi almost shouting.

"There, I've closed up and healed all of his wounds." said Hinata who grabbed his wrist to feel his pulse.

"B-but his pulse is too slow, if this c-continues for another minute, he will d-die!" said Hinata.

She had waited 3 years for him to return from his training with Jaraiya, and all of that waiting made her want him even more, but now, she was going to lose him forever.

"What's wrong?!" screamed Hinata as she pulled at her hair in frustration.

"He doesn't have enough blood, and needs a donor with a blood type that is opposite of his." answered Kakashi as he rushed his voice in a flustered manner.

"Naruto has blood type B, who has a blood type A?" asked Kakashi who was looking even more flustered than before.

"Quickly, we don't have much time!" said Kakashi in a hurried voice.

"I...I have a-a b-blood t-type A..." stuttered Hinata as she quickly took out a med-bag.

She took a small long plastic tube with a needle at one end, and attached it to an I.V. bag. She then took a different tube, and attached it to the other end of the bag. She swallowed hard, and stuck the needle into Naruto.

_'I don't like hurting him...'_ thought Hinata as she took the other needle, and held it up to her face.

"But it is either this, or nothing" said Hinata as she attached her end of the tube with a needle.

_'This is it...'_ thought Hinata as she took the needle and stuck it into her arm.

She winced in pain as blood slowly ran from her arm into the bag, and from there into Naruto.

A few seconds went by and Naruto's breathing was getting ragged and much too fast.

_'Oh no...'_ thought Hinata as she applied chakra to her arm to make her blood flow a bit faster.

The bag started to fill and Hinata was beginning to become woozy, but she didn't care, she loved him, and she would do anything to save him.

"Come on, work..." whispered Kakashi.

Hinata felt his pulse to find that it was still slowing down.

"WORK!" shouted a crying Hinata as she squeezed the bag, causing alot more blood to flow from her into him.

She was at the edge of fainting, but she would do anything to save him.

"Gah! I feel so useless!" screamed Hinata.

Suddenly, Hinata felt a strange surge of chakra coming from Naruto's body.

"N...Naruto?" asked Hinata in hopes that the sudden appearance of his chakra meant he would be okay.

But suddenly there was a huge spike of power, it was only large enough to hit Hinata, and Kakashi, but it was still a massive amount of chakra.

"Gah!" squeaked Hinata as she fell over, unconscious.

"Ack!" shouted Kakashi as he too fell over unconscious.

Naruto's chakra surge suddenly quit, and he began to breath normally again.

Kurenai scrambled over to Kakashi's body to check him over.

_'Oh god is he...'_ thought Kurenai worriedly.

Suddenly Kakashi sat upright really fast.

"Gah!" screamed Kurenai in suprise.

"Wow, that was weird..." said Kakashi as he rubbed his head.

"Where am I?..." asked Kakashi as he looked around.

--

END CHAPTER

Sorry that this chapter took so long, I had alot of homework to do, and I'm graduating in like 10 days so I've been very busy with invitations and stuff.

Sorry that there was no real comedy relief in this chapter, this had to be a serious chapter, because it is a freaking village invasion, not an underwear party in france! Cause those are always fun!

...

Not that...I would know... :)

Next chappie will be out within in one week, if not sooner, cause of graduation. It will be back to being funny like normal.

People are sending me e-mails that say "You need to have a sex scene!"

And I was like...whoah...fine...ya jerks... :)

I NEED MORE REVIEWS! IF YOU READ MY FIC, YOU MUST REVIEW! I DEMAND IT! ahem... sorry, I get a little mad when I only get like, 8 reviews a chapter...

Lazy Bastards...(Says to self)

Especially you Bryant...

...

And as for the rest of you that don't review... get a job... and then review because you can afford it.

...

Swedish fickle floo... :)


	16. Operation: Sasuke P2

_**My Heart's Lavender Eye**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter :16**_

**_Operation Sasuke P2_**

He saw everyone staring at him, and at something next to him.

He looked over to Naruto to see that he was hooked up to an I.V. bag attached to Hinata, and that he had grown a tail and ears.

"Oh my god! what the hell happened to Naruto?!" asked Kakashi as he scrambled to his side.

Kakashi knelt down and picked up Naruto's arm and put his fingers on his wrist.

"His pulse seems normal, but he is still low on blood." said Kakashi as he wiped his hand on his forehead with relief.

"..."

Kurenai and everybody else sat there with a look of disbelief on their faces.

"Kakashi, don't you...remember?" asked Kurenai.

"...Remember what?" asked Kakashi with confusion.

"..."

"Kakashi..." started Kurenai.

"Do you remember going on a mission to rescue Sasuke?" asked Kurenai, who started to look really flustered.

"I...I remember...The last thing I remember..." said Kakashi as he scratched his head.

"I remember Neji, having a bra on his head..." said Kakashi, who looked at Kurenai with hopes that it had just been a dream.

"Oh god...Oh god no...no..." said Kurenai while holding her head as tears formed in her eyes.

"Amnesia." said Neji plainly as he crossed his arms dramatically and blushed from the mention of him and TenTen.

"Amnesia?! From Naruto's chakra?" asked Kiba incredulously.

"Yes, I believe that is what happened." said Gai confidently.

"Amnesia? Naruto's Chakra? What's going on here!?" asked Kakashi flusteringly as he stood up from his kneeling position.

Kurenai looked as thought she were about to break down and cry, and Kakashi was about to ask her what was wrong, but he then noticed his surroundings.

_'Wait a sec, this is the Village Hidden in the Sound from Jaraiya's map that he showed me before...' _thought Kakashi as he recalled the map that Jaraiya had shown him long before.

_'It was on the wall of the hotel in that one dreary village near Suna, during that recovery mission...' _thought Kakashi as he reminisced back to when he was slightly younger.

"(sigh)" Kiba sat down next to Kakashi to explain to him what had happened in the past 24 hours, leading up to why they were here, and what happened to Naruto. He excluded the parts about Kurenai's relationship with him, and decided that it was best that Kurenai did that.

"And now, here we are, with yours, Gai's, and Kurenai's chakra sealed, Naruto and Hinata out of commission, and we are waiting for Hinata and Naruto to wake up." finished Kiba as he stood back up to gauge his reaction.

For a second, Kakashi looked stunned at the past events, but let it all soak in.

After a long silence Kakashi stood up, and walked over to Naruto.

"I wonder why, or even how this happened..." said Kakashi to himself as Naruto laid there on the ground next to Hinata, tail ears, and all.

"We're not sure but..." said Shino as he was interrupted by a sudden and abrupt movement on the ground next to him.

"Mixed vegetables!" shouted Hinata as she quickly sat up.

_'Oh! My head!' _thought Hinata as she rubbed her skull to try and sooth the pain.

She then turned her head to look at Naruto and saw his new form.

She sat there stunned for a moment, as though she didn't recognize Naruto.

Everyone waited to see if she had amnesia like Kakashi, but Hinata did something so out of her character that it threw them all off guard.

"OH MY FUCKING LORD!" screeched Hinata as she turned pale and fainted.

"She...she swore..." said Kiba, shocked at the usually timid girl's exclamation.

"Yes, which means she doesn't remember as well." said Shino while putting his hand onto his forehead in bother of the situation at hand.

"So she and Kakashi both have amnesia then..." said Lee who had Sakura in his arms.

"Oh my god! What happened to her?" asked Kakashi as he saw Sakura in his hands.

"That's evident..." said Gai to Shino while rubbing his forehead.

"What do you think we should do Kuren..." started Gai but when he looked at her face, he knew that something was wrong.

She was crying excessively, but kept her composure.

"You don't remember..." said Kurenai while trembling a bit.

Kakashi just stared at her for a second, debating on what she was so emotional for. Kakashi and Kurenai had been good friends for many years, but it perplexed him that Kurenai was crying over something as insignificant as 24 hours of memory loss.

_'What could have happened over a mere 24 hours that was so important?' _thought Kakashi as he thought of an answer for her.

"No, I guess I don't..." said Kakashi as he studied her every movement. He was worried for her, but didn't know what to do.

She then covered her hands over her face to hide her tears and turned around so they couldn't see her stress.

"Kurenai, what...what's wrong?" asked Kakashi as he moved closer to her.

_'He doesn't remember...All the moments we had in the tunnel...in the dark...' _thought Kurenai as she tried to wipe the tears from her face, but when she did, new ones would only form to take their place.

_'I gave him my first kiss, I gave him my inner most secrets, I gave him... my love...' _thought Kurenai as she continued to cry.

"Kurenai, you have to tell me what's wrong, that way I can make it better..." said Kakashi with a smile.

Kurenai then burst into tears and ran out of sight around the corner of a building.

"(sigh) I'd better go make sure that she's okay..." said Gai as he ran after her.

Gai knew what was wrong, and why she was crying, so he knew how to handle the situation.

"What was that all about?" asked Kakashi.

Kakashi got no answer, and everyone was now ignoring him and looking at Naruto.

"..."

A prolonged silence followed, and nobody seemed to want to make eye contact with him.

"(sigh) Okay, what did I do wrong?" asked Kakashi who was exasperated at the situation.

"Nothing. You've done nothing wrong." said Neji plainly.

Kakashi was about to interrupt but was cut off by the male Hyuuga.

"When the time comes, Kurenai will tell you why she acted the way she did." said Neji, dropping the conversation.

Kakashi decided that he needed to find this out, but would wait until Kurenai decided to talk to him of her own will.

Kakashi nodded to Neji and turned back to see how Hinata was doing, only to find out that she was on top of Naruto.

"..."

"That can't possibly be appropriate..." said Kiba as he walked over to take her off, but when he reached down and touched her she jumped from Naruto, and landed on the ground next to him.

"No no, I love competitive acorn hunting..." mumbled Hinata as she swayed about.

"..."

"Is she drunk?" asked Kiba as Akamaru nervously approached her.

"Ruff?" asked Akamaru as he went up up poked her.

Hinata then screamed and slapped him in the face.

Akamaru doubled over and threw himself behind Kiba with his tail between his legs.

"How...dare you." said Hinata as she blushed a bit.

"...Okay, she needs to wake up, otherwise we are going to have trouble moving around with 4 dead-weights..." said TenTen as she walked up to Hinata. TenTen then reached forward and slapped her in the face. Her eyes open with a look of shock, she rubbed her cheek and looked at TenTen in surprise.

"What d-did you do th-that f-for?" stuttered Hinata timidly as she continued to rub her cheek.

"There, she's up now." said TenTen as she walked back to Neji and stood next to him.

Hinata was about to ask them why they were so close together, but was interrupted by Kiba.

"Hinata, I have something to tell you." said Kiba as he walked up and stood firmly in front of her.

Kiba then began to tell the same story that he told Kakashi. He left out the parts of Kakashi and Kurenai like last time, but he also left out the perverted parts of her and Naruto. When he finished the long story he stood back up and let it all sink in.

Hinata looked completely shocked, and didn't seem to be making any movements.

_'I...he...Naruto tried to sacrifice himself for the mission...and I thought he was dead... so I tried to end my own life...' _thought Hinata gravely as her mind flew over all of this information.

She looked over to Naruto, and saw his form again. It was different, but she thought it made him look kind of cute. She blushed red at these thoughts and walked over to him. She sat down next to him and moved her hand over his back. She hesitated at first, but forced her hand down. She began to rub Naruto's back to comfort him.

_'Wow, I'm actually touching him!' _thought Hinata excitedly as she continued to massage his back. She would have done it until he woke up, but she stopped when she heard a strange noise coming from Naruto. It was a familiar noise, one a cat makes when you pet it.

"Is...is he purring?" asked Kiba as everyone moved closer to listen.

"mmmmprrrrrrrr..."

The sound was coming from Naruto, just like a cat or...

"A fox..." said Kiba aloud as they all turned their attention to Hinata.

She blushed and continued to pet him, but at every stroke, his chest would vibrate and he would purr. Hinata liked this noise, it was soothing and comforting at the same time.

"Is Naruto purring?" asked Gai who showed up abruptly.

"Yes, now what happened to Kurenai?" asked Kakashi worriedly.

Gai blinked at Kakashi for a second, then turned away from Naruto to answer him.

"She just needs a few minutes alone to gather her thoughts, she will be waiting at the tunnel that our team made." said Gai as he walked over to Kakashi to stand by him.

"You know...Kurenai is skilled, strong, has a great personality, and knows how to cook very well to top it all off." whispered Gai to Kakashi as he non-chalantly examined his nails.

"Yes, I know, I have known her for a long time...What's your point?" asked Kakashi confused.

"Well..." said Gai while nudging Kakashi.

"She would make a great catch if you know what I mean." said Gai as he winked to him.

"...Where is this coming from?" asked Kakashi accusingly.

"Nowhere! I just thought that you two would make a good couple, that's all." said Gai as Kakashi tried to ignore him and turned his attention away from him.

_'Me...and Kurenai?' _thought Kakashi he pondered over the possibility.

"Anyways..." interrupted Neji.

"We still have a mission to do, and I think we can manage if Hinata can carry Naruto." said Neji as he crossed his arms.

"M-me c-c-carry N-Naruto?" stuttered Hinata incredulously as she blushed from the thought.

"Neji!" exclaimed TenTen in shock of Neji's proposal. TenTen had been Hinata's friend since childhood, and knew much about her, especially that she was infatuated, if not in love with the blond.

Neji knew Hinata all too well, but had a good reason for his decision.

"After Naruto's chakra spike, Hinata barely has any chakra left to fight, so it would make no difference tactically if she carried Naruto." said Neji plainly.

It made since, and nobody argued, so they all agreed on it.

Hinata did not want to interject, she wanted to be with Naruto, but she could possibly faint from the hormonal stress.

She had to say something, she was going to interject, but was cut off.

"My chakra is sealed, so I'll carry Sasuke." said Gai as he walked over and picked up the missing nin.

"And I'll carry Sakura for the same reason." said Kakashi as he walked over to Lee, who turned her over to him.

Hinata was still trying to tell everyone her situation, and TenTen saw this, so she interrupted her before she could say anything embarrassing.

"Hinata, you HAVE to carry Naruto, you're hooked up to an I.V. with him, and he needs your blood to keep himself stabilized." said TenTen as she crossed her arms to end the conversation.

_'I.V.?' _thought Hinata as she looked down at her arm. She looked down to see that there was an I.V., and also saw that they were swapping blood.

_'Wow, Naruto has some of me inside of him.' _thought Hinata happily as she watched Naruto lay there peacefully.

With a furious blush, she reached over and to pick him up, but found that she couldn't lift him off of the ground.

Hinata's face turned red. Not from blushing, but from the strain of trying to lift him.

She finally gave up and plopped down on her butt to rest.

"He's...he's too heavy..." gasped Hinata as she tried to catch her breath.

"(sigh) do I have to do everything?" said Neji tiredly as he walked over to Naruto and knelt down to pick him up. When he tried to pick him up, instead of Naruto being lifted up, Neji quickly and painfully smashed his face into the ground.

"..."

"Ow..." said Neji as he rubbed his face in pain.

"He must be at least over three metric tons..." said Neji as he incredulously stared at Naruto's body.

"Impossible." said Lee as he walked over to Naruto.

"There is no way that Naruto can weigh that much..." said Lee as he lifted Naruto from the ground.

Lee looked happy for a second that he had done something Neji could not, but he suddenly got a look of horror on his face.

"Ah!" screamed Lee as his arms caved in under the weight.

He dropped Naruto onto the ground, which formed a large crater, causing Hinata to fall onto Naruto.

She blushed and quickly got off of him while she blushed even more from the realization of their contact together.

"Byakugan!" said Neji as he examined Naruto's body.

"Hmmm...It appears to be a defensive mechanism, brought on by the increase of density in Naruto cellular structure." said Neji confidently as he bent down to Naruto.

He reached forward and flicked Naruto's arm.

Ping!

Everyone gasped at the sound it made and Neji made a few hand signs.

"It appears that Naruto's cellular structure is so dense in this state, that his skin is actually as hard as steel..." said Neji as he leaned in towards Naruto and placed a finger on Naruto's chest.

"Release!" shouted Neji as a small wave of chakra shot from his finger and enveloped Naruto, only to quickly dissapear.

"There." said Neji as he stood up and turned to Hinata.

"You should be able to carry him now, I have released the chakra concentration on his tenketsu." finished Neji as he walked back over to TenTen.

"Alright, let's head towards Gai's tunnel, lead the way _Sir I cut my hair with a bowl and scissors_." said Kakashi as he pointed his hand in the direction of the tunnel.

"You can be so mean sometimes Kakashi..." said Gai with fake tears in his eyes as he jumped to the nearest rooftop for quicker travel.

Everyone followed suit, and reached the rooftop, except one shy Hyuuga.

Everyone was waiting on the rooftop for Hinata.

"You comin Hinata?" asked Kiba anxiously.

Hinata nodded and walked over to Naruto.

She blushed a great deal, then finally managed to pick him up.

_'Oh god, oh god, okay...just act normally, pretend it is someone else'_thought Hinata as she closed her eyes and confidently walked towards the team.

_'Someone else...someone else...'_thought Hinata as she jumped up onto the building.

"Okay. Let's move!" said Gai as he led the team in the direction of his tunnel.

Everyone followed by jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

_'Someone else...'_ thought Hinata as she opened her eyes.

_'Someone else with chiseled muscles, washboard abs, funny disposition, confidence to spare, and flowing spikey blond hair...'_ thought Hinata as she felt her self blush throughout her entire body.

_'Oh god! I'm...I'm going to faint...'_ thought Hinata as she wavered a bit in her jumping.

TenTen saw Hinata's wavering and jumped in front of her just in time to catch her and Naruto in one swoop, and then jumped to catch up with the team, and they had already reached the entrance of the tunnel by the time she caught up. TenTen finally reached them and was looking quite flustered.

"What's wrong TenTen?" asked Neji as he walked over to her.

"It's hard to carry two people at once, because they are two different weights to carry." said TenTen as she went to put them down.

"Wait, I can fix that." said Neji as he pulled some duct tape out of his pocket.

He then flipped Hinata so that she was facing Naruto, and thouroughly taped them together.

He took her hand and taped it on his butt, and vice-versa. He then taped their necks together in one loop, so that thier faces were touching.

"There, they should be much easier to carry now." said Neji while smirking.

Everyone looked at their state and looked back to Neji who actually smiled.

"Neji, you have a cruel sense of humor..." said Kiba who walked over to him gravely.

Kiba stopped right in front of Neji and it looked like he was going to say something offensive but instead, he just gave him a huge smile.

"That's my kind of humor!" said Kiba as he led Neji to the side and began asking him about himself, and what it was like to be a Hyuuga.

TenTen then walked over to Kurenai and began to comfort her. Gai and Lee began to talk about misscelainious things while Shino and Kakashi were left as the only ones not talking.

"..."

"So...How's the weather been to you?" asked Shino to Kakashi.

Kakashi sighed and put a hand over his face.

"Fair..." said Kakashi as he walked to the center of everyone.

Kakashi stood passively with Sakura in his arms, then dropped his one hand down to his side, and got a pissed of look on his face.

"WHAT IS THIS, A PARTY FOR NIMRODS?! THIS IS A MISSION! NOT A FREE-RANGE CIRCUS!" shouted Kakashi as everyone went silent.

"This is still a mission, and it still needs to be completed." said Kakashi as he walked to the tunnel's entrance past Kurenai.

Kurenai looked suprised, then nodded and followed Kakashi into the tunnel, but everyone else stood there in shock.

"..."

"Free range circus?" asked Lee confusingly.

"(sigh) Well we better get a move on." said TenTen as she picked up the newly taped Naruto and Hinata, and walked into the tunnel entrance.

"Lee, be on your guard, I can't fight, and neither can Hinata, Naruto, TenTen, Kakashi, or Kurenai because of their current states." said Gai as he walked into the tunnel.

"Wait!" shouted Kiba as everyone turned to look at him.

"What about all of the important documents, and the remainder of the Sound?" asked Kiba.

Kakashi was about to answer, but was interupted by a loud explosion.

(Crack!)

The explosion was huge, and Kakashi felt something coming at an incredible speed.

"Everyone down!" shouted Kakashi over the roar of the explosion as everyone jumped into the tunnel.

The shockwave from the explosion came crashing into the building around them, reducing them to dust and fire.

After the explosion was over, Kakashi ran out to observe the damage.

Where The Sound Village once stood, there was nothing but a large crater, and the charred remains of many destroyed buildings and barracks.

A strong silence followed as everyone came out to view the aftermath.

"Wow." said Neji as he walked up to the edge of the crater.

"Why?" asked Gai as he too walked up to the edge.

"It must have been a precaution set by Orochimaru to make sure that no one could get a hold of his secrets." said Kakashi as he adusted Sakura in his arms.

"No one man should ever have that kind of power, anyone with that kind of power, should be executed." said Neji gravely.

Neji's comment caused everyone to nod in agreement, except Kakashi.

"You know, the blast that Naruto used to get us here in time was made up of alot more power than this explosion." said Kakashi as he walked up to him.

"Does that mean that you wish to kill Naruto?" asked Kakashi as he leaned in threateningly to Neji.

"No, just the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi is the dangerous power, and it needs to be stopped." said Neji while crossing his arms.

"Hate to break this to you Neji, but Naruto didn't use any of the Kyuubi's chakra to create the tunnel." said Kakashi while smiling.

Everyone gasped including akaaru, which kind of sounded funny coming from a dog, but everyone ignored it.

"Impossible, no one man has that kind of natural power." interjected Gai as he adjusted Sasuke in his arms.

"No, possible, you just have'nt known Naruto long enough to realize it." said Kakashi as he turned back tothe tunnel.

"Come on, we still have a mission that needs completion." said Kakashi as he ran into the tunnel wihtout looking back.

TenTen picked up Hinata and Naruto and followed while everyone else did the same.

Everyone was having an easy time traveling, but had a feeling that they were being watched.

They casted aside these feelings and picked up thier pace.

These feelings were true as three figures lurked in the shadows, following the shinobi as they made their way back into the tunnel.

"Itachi, should we take him now?" asked Kisame as he grinned, showing his shark teeth.

"No, the time is not now, we must wait until the most opportune moment." said Itachi calmly as they continued to trail Naruto.

"What time could be better? Naruto is unconscious along with just about 1/4 of their group!" said Kisame as he paced himself beside Itachi.

"Yes, but this new transformational ability of his to increase his weight will be comlicate things, we must wait until he powers down." said Itachi as he kept up the pace.

"Right, your the boss." said Kisame as he smirked.

Itachi turned his head menacingly to Kisame, and for a second he thought that Itachi was going to kill him, but instead he merely smirked back.

_'Itachi, you are the best...'_ thought Kisame as he wiped his forehead in relief.

They continued to follow Naruto, but were being trailed themselves.

_'I have to keep an eye on these jokers, and Naruto as well.'_ thought Jaraiya as he quietly continued to track them.

Kakashi was getting tired, and would soon drop from exhaustion if he did not rest.

"Alright, were going to start heading up, it will be easier to camp if we can have a fire." said Kakashi as he stopped the group.

"Lee, make us a hole." said Gai, gesturing towards the ceiling.

"Right!" said Lee joyously as he walked in front of Kakashi.

"Leaf Hurricane!!" yelled Lee as he swung a kick at the ceiling.

A huge hole appeared in a small explsion of dust and dirt.

"Okay start heading up." said Kakashi as he jumped through the hole.

Everyone followed as Kakashi continued farther through the forest.

"It looks as thought they are heading to the surface." said Kisame observingly.

"Yes...yes it does." said Itachi as he jumped through the hole.

They appeared at the top, and found that there was no one within thier sight..

"..."

"Where did they go in such a hurry?" asked Kisame as they looked around.

They sat there for a couple of minutes, deciding which way to go, until they saw a broken branch heading in the direction of the Leaf village.

"Duh." said Kisame as he rushed inthat direction with Itachi close behind.

About a mile ahead Kakashi had stopped and had already set up camp for 11.

"Alright, now that that is done, I think i'lll take a small nap." said Kakashi.

He didn't move from his spot, but closed his eyes.

Kurenai had just finished setting up a circle of logs for them to sit on, and sat down on the one nearest to Kakashi.

"Hey Kakashi...I...I wanted to...to talk to you about something." said Kurenai to Kakashi, who was unknowingly asleep where he stood.

"About 18 hours ago...we...you...I...told you...how I felt." said Kurenai as everyone awake turned thier atention to this scene.

"I...fell in love with you Kakashi!" said Kurenai quickly as she blushed.

"I know you don't remember, but you returned the love I sent, and if you want to you can try a relationship with me again." said Kurenai quickly as she looked down in embarressment.

A slience went by and Kurenai was getting very anxious.

"Well?" asked Kurenai as she looked up to Kakashi.

Just then Kakashi fell over and onto her lap, and his head slipped under her skirt.

Kurenai blushed and was about to react, but was interupted by a flash.

She looked over to see Kiba smirking with her camera in his hands.

"Ha! payback!" said Kiba as he put the camera into his bag.

"Kakashi!" screamed Kurenai as she pushed him off.

Kurenai was about to yell at him for being such a pervert, but looked down to see that he was asleep.

"..."

"He...was asleep...that whole time..." said Kurenai quietly as she realized that he didn't hear a word.

Neji smiled and took something from behind his back, and put it in his bag without being noticed.

"Heh, I could have told you that..." said Neji as he losed his bag shut.

"Well why didn't you?!" exclaimed Kurenai.

"It's too much fun to watch." said Neji with a smirk.

Kurenai growled at him, and looked back down to Kakashi.

"(sigh) I had better start a fire..." said Shino as he lit the pile of logs in the center of the camp.

Not too far away, Kisame was still running in thier direction, looking for a signs of thier presence.

Itachi was a few feet behind him, and they were going along at a very quick pace. It would have been quicker, but they had trouble going through all of the low branches which kept hitting him in the face.

"Damn these things..." said Kisame as he stopped short and Itachi ran into his back.

"Why did you..." said Itachi, but stopped when he realized his surroundings.

They were standing next the fire, almost directly in the middle of thier camp.

"..."

A great silence passed at the sight of the two "S class" criminals.

"..."

"Aaaaawkwaaaaaard..." said Kisame as they eased thier positions.

No one said anything to this, but Kisame decided to keep up the one-sided conversation.

"So...What are the odds huh?" said Kisame with a smirk.

Kurenai and Gai had gotten up and took defensive stances.

"So uh...bye!" said Kisame quickly as he and Itachi quickly dissapeared.

They all still sat there in shock, until Kiba finally spoke up.

"What the hell was that all about?!" shouted Kiba as he quickly stood up.

"That certainly was weird...but I can't sense their chakra anywhere." said Gai nervously as he looked around.

"Well, either way, we can't do anything about it now." said Neji as he stod up.

"We will have to wait until Kakashi waks up, he is the only one here with intimate knowledge of the Akatsuki." said Shino calmly.

"And an intimate knowledge of Kurenai's undies..." mumbled Kiba, but no one paid attention to him.

"Wait? Just Wait?! What if they come back!?" asked TenTen as she too stood up in protest.

"Seeing that they left without a fight in the first place, I don't think that they will be back." said Kurenai calmly as everyone sat down and nodded thier heads, waiting for Kakashi to wake up.

--

End of Chapter!

Next chapter will come out sooner than the this one, I'm sorry that this one took such a long time, but I think that my graduation is a good enough excuse.

Pleases read and Review.

Shout out to THE HEE-HO KING Ja!

As well as C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only, and Dragon Man 180.

especially yourreadingthis!

Thanks for being there!

And by the way Dragon Man, The five prong seal was initially designed to be a master of seals jutsu, but it's chakra manipulation goes to such a level that it can cut off the chakra coil's flow from the rest of the body. It works for anyone who has a chakra coil. (Which is everyone in the Naruverse.)

Next chappie out soon. (PLEASE REVEIW)


	17. Operation: Sasuke P3

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

**--**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

**--**

_**Chapter 17:**_

_**Operation: Sasuke P3**_

"..."

Everyone sat in silence as they waited for their leader to wake up.

"..."

A few more minutes past and Kiba started to look a little bit edgy, he was sitting on a log next to Shino and was fidgeting uncontrollably.

Everyone noticed his awkward fidgeting, and they just wanted to sit in their seats and wait for Kakashi, Kiba was making it difficult. Kurenai was about to say something, but Kiba beat her to it.

"RAAARGH!! I can't take it anymore!" shouted Kiba as he got up from his seat and paced around the fire.

"Calm down Kiba." said Shino calmly from his seat.

"How am I supposed to do that?! I NEED to move, I NEED to exercise, I NEED..." said Kiba as he was interupted by a black blur from behind Kakashi's mask.

(Smack!)

A giant spider latched onto his face.

"..."

"A FREAKING GIANT SPIDER ON MY FACE!" screamed Kiba as he ran around the fire.

"So, what are we going to do while Kakashi is unconscious?" asked Lee as he sat on his seat boringly.

"Well, we could play a board game..." suggested TenTen.

"THE ODDS! WHAT ARE THE ODDS!?" shouted Kiba as he continued to run around with his hands on his face trying to pull off the spider.

"We don't have one..." interupted Gai as he put his hand on his chin to think.

"Hmmm...What are we going to do?..." asked Kurenai as she pondered about it with them.

"HELP KIBA!!" shouted Kiba as he continued to run around.

"We could run a few tests on Naruto while he's still asleep..." suggested Gai.

"WHY WON'T YOU HELP ME?!" shouted Kiba.

"We only have chakra and blood transfusion equipment, otherwise, it's just bandages and splints." said Sakura casually from behind Gai.

"When did you get up?" asked Kakashi.

"When did SHE get up? No, the question is when did YOU get up?!" asked Kurenai incredulously as she noticed the newly awakened Kakashi.

"About the same time that spider flew out of my mask...weird huh?" said Kakashi as he adjusted his mask.

"YOU PEOPLE DISGUST ME!" shouted Kiba as he continued to run around.

Suddenly Kisame appeared from out of the trees and landed in front of Kiba stopping him and picking him up with one hand.

"(sigh)For god sake..." said Kisame as he pulled the spider from Kiba face and then dissapeared in a blue blur.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and stood or sat there in shock, except for Kiba who didn't seem one bit shocked by the shark-man's sudden appearance.

"Oh sure, my friends won't help me, but my enemy will?!" exclaimed Kiba.

"Sorry Kiba, but after a while, we just try to tune you out..." reassured Shino.

"I had a freaking spider on my head!" exclaimed Kiba as he put his hands on his head, rubbing the spot where the spider had latched on.

"Yeah, sorry, we just kinda got used to you making loud noises that we tend to ignore" said Sakura as she stood next to everyone else near the middle of the ring of logs.

"Who was that anyway?" asked Lee from behind Gai.

"That was Kisame, from the land of waves in the hidden mist village, height 195 cm, weight 83.1 kg, blood type AB, Current member of the Akatsuki Organization, Former Mist Seven member, Wields large head-cleaving sword named Samehada, and is an S-Ranked criminal." said Kakashi quickly as he stood up from his kneeling position to meet some astounded eyes.

"..."

"Wow..." said Kiba as he walked over to Kakashi.

Everyone else quickly stood up from their seats and took defensive positions except Kakashi.

"Yeah, wow! How are we going to defend ourselves against him?" asked TenTen.

"We won't need to." said Kakashi casually.

"What do you mean, he's going to come in here, and cut off my head!" shouted Kiba, who was over-reacting.

"And after I die, when my head hits the ground with a sickening thud, that damn spider will probably fly out of my ass and eat it!" ranted Kiba who was now pacing about as though he were a teacher in a classroom.

Suddenly Kurenai jumped forward and pinched his neck. Kiba fell over unconscious, and she grabbed his feet and threw him into a body bag, which she shoved into her own supply bag.

Evryone gave her a look of suprise.

"Holy crap! I know he was annoying, but you didn't have to knock him out!" said Kakashi, defending Kiba.

Kurenai was about to say something back, but when she looked into his eyes she blushed and turned away.

Kakashi saw this, but didn't know what to think.

_'Hmmm... what she so shy about all of the sudden?'_ thought Kakashi as he scratched his head.

"Wait, Kakashi, doesn't Kisame usually travel with Itachi?" asked Gai as he walked up to Kakashi.

"Itachi Uchiha, missing nin, land of fire from the hidden leaf village, blood type..." said Kakashi.

"We know, we get it!" interupted Sakura as she sat back down onto a log behind her.

"Anyways, since they came into our camp without fighting us, I'd asume that they don't want to fight, so we don't have to worry." said Kakashi.

There was a silence and everyone relaxed knowing that he was probably right.

"So, why did you tell us their blood types?" asked Sakura curiously.

"Well, in case they are captured and we need to know their blood type for a blood transfusion." said Kakashi.

"How so?" asked Shino who spontaniously decided to speak up.

"..."

"Well...in a instance where we need blood for a blood transfusion, we need a type that is compatable with the victim." said Kakashi like he was lecturing his students.

"Oh sure he talks like a teacher, but he doesn't get knocked out and shoved into a bag!" complained Kiba from inside the bag.

"He is a teacher you idiot!" said Neji as he hit the what he thought was Kiba's head.

"..."

"Did somebody just slap my ass?" asked Kiba questioningly.

(Awkward silence)

TenTen then leaned over Neji and pinched Kiba's neck, knocking him out again.

"(sigh) Anyways, you were saying Kakashi?" said Gai.

"Yes, as I was saying, you need the victim and the donor to have similiar blood types." began Kakashi as he rummaged around his supply bag.

"Wait, don't you mean opposite blood types?" asked Lee in confusion.

"No you need similiar types like A to A or B to B, why would you think that they would need to be opposites?" asked Kakashi wonderingly as he finally retrieved a water bottle from his bag.

"Opposite blood types would result in a death if not quickly fixed." said Kakashi as he opened up his water bottle and took a drink through the cotton fibers in his mask.

"Because, when you were giving Naruto a blood transfusion, you asked for Hinata to be the donor because she had an opposite blood type from Naruto." said Lee.

Suddenly everyone got a look of realization on their faces, and Kakashi started choking up water and had a coughing fit.

"Blahhehe ho hahk ha ho horf!" sputtered Kakashi as he fell to the ground to spit up his water. He then quickly stood up from the ground with an extremely worried look.

"I did what?!" exclaimed Kakashi as he looked over to where Naruto and Hinata had been moments ago.

"Where did they go?" asked Gai as they all frantically looked around.

Suddenly Naruto appeared next to Kakashi in a flash of light, and had an appearance of a drunken half fox boy.

"Hey guys, what the...the heck happened, and wh...wha...why is Hinata kissing me?" slurred Naruto as he swayed a bit back and forth.

Everyone looked to see that Hinata was still duck-taped to him, but she kept trying to get at his mouth.

"Wow." said Sakura in amazement.

Suddenly an arm came from Kurenai's bag which held a camera. Without looking away, Sakura took it from Kiba's hand and snapped a picture.

(snap)

"Heh, someones feelin up my butt..." said Naruto as he began to sway some more in what seemed like chuckling.

(snap)(snap)(snap)

Kiba then held out his hand and without looking away Sakura gave it back.

"Naruto...how...how do you feel?" asked Kakashi as he cautiously approached him.

"Funny." said Naruto.

"Funny? What, bad funny? Funny funny? or Rita Rudner funny?" asked Kakashi.

"Bad fffffffunny." said Hinata with a giggle as she continued to feel up Naruto.

"Yeah, bad fu..." said Naruto as he collapsed along with Hinata.

They laid there on the ground, and Sakura quickly got up and ran to thier sides to check thier pulses.

"Oh god! their going critical!" shouted Sakura.

Kakashi tore open his med-bag and took out two specialized gloves with tubing on each finger tip. He grabbed Hinata and Naruto and flipped them onto thier sides.

He put on the gloves, and put one hand over Hinata's back, and the other over Naruto's.

"These are special chakra transfusion gloves, they take too long to use, but if I'm able to mix their chakra, I should be able to stabilize their condition." said Kakashi as he closed his eyes in concentration.

"How?" asked Kurenai as she bit her finger nails in worry.

"If two blood types aren't stable, we can interfuse their chakra to stabilize thier bodies natural need to get rid of the unwanted blood in each other's bodies. In short, thier bodies are trying to destroy a part of themselves, but if we make thier chakra's agree with each other, their bodies will stabilize." explained Sakura.

Suddenly Naruto spasmed a bit and Hinata did the same.

Everyone backed up except for Sakura, who was the only one who had medical experience.

"Their pulses aren't stable, they won't make it if you don't do something within the next thirdy seconds!" shouted Sakura in terror.

Everyone gasped and Kakashi yelled.

"What do you think I'm doing!?" screamed Kakashi as he closed his eyes again.

Finally, a blue chakra came up from Naruto, and a blue chakra came up from Hinata.

The chakra continiously flowed into his gloves, and Kakashi moved his hands to make it look like he was holding a ball. He then began to filter the chakras together into the ball, and began to mix them.

"Come on! Come on!" shouted Kakashi as he began to mix the chakras together.

The chakras quickly intermingled, then mixed with a flash of color.

Their chakra colors mixed into a beautiful shade of an almost flouresant blue that would stun a bat.

(Bats cannot see colors)

Kakashi almost stopped what he was doing in awe, but quickly realized that lives were in stake and quickly got back to work.

He then began to filter the newly fused chakra back into their bodies.

"Thier pulse is only barely slowing, they're not going to make it!" shouted Sakura as she looked stessfully up to Kakashi.

Hinata and Naruto bodies were practically glowing with chakra, and Kakashi wasn't going to let up.

"COME ON!!" shouted Kakashi with one final push of chakra.

Kakashi then fell over, and was panting hard on the ground.

"What is thier condition?!" asked Kakashi hurriedly between huffs.

Sakura couldn't get her hands near them anymore, the chakra they were producing was too great for her to even get her hands near them.

"I don't know, I can't even get near them, this power is incredible!" shouted Sakura.

"Allow me!" shouted Lee as he jumped over the two.

He then shot out an enourmous amount of chakra from his hands and shot it around them.

"Wait, no!" shouted Kakashi, but it was too late.

His chakra's pressure caused theirs to die down and it was safe enough for her to check thier conditions.

Sakura put her fingers on both of thier necks and looked over to Kakashi.

"I think they're going to be all right!" said Sakura as she fell over in relief.

Everyone felt relief wash over them, and Kakashi could only smile and lie there on the ground.

"Thank god!" gasped Gai.

"Yeah!" said TenTen.

"I need a drink." said Kurenai as she plopped down on her log as everyone else did the same.

Kurenai over to get a drink from her bag, but it was blown a few feet away by a wave of chakra.

"(sigh) Lee, you can stop now." said Kurenai as she went to get her bag again, but it was only blown away again.

"Lee you can stop!" said Gai.

"I...can't...STOP!" shouted Lee as he strained his face.

"What do you mean, you can't stop?!" exclaimed Gai as he stood up.

"Naruto...Hinata...stealing my...chakra..." strained Lee as he planted his feet firmly on the ground and tried to get away.

"It's like a vortex!" exclaimed Kakashi who still couldn't move.

"Stop it!" exclaimed Lee as his face turned red from the strain of trying to escape.

"Lee!" shouted Gai as he ran over to Lee to try and save him, but he couldn't think of what to do.

"Uh...Uh..." stuttered Gai as he frantically waved his arms around in frustration.

Suddenly Neji ran up to Naruto and struck his palm onto Naruto's back.

"RELEASE!" shouted Neji.

Lee finally shot backwards and slammed into a tree which caused it to snap like a twig and bend over slightly.

"There, you see, nothing to it." said Neji as he crossed his arms in his superiority.

Everyone was about to congradulate him, but Kakashi bit through his pain and actually stood up in front of Neji.

"YOU IDIOT!" shouted Kakashi as he pointed in his face.

"DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"continued Kakashi who seemed to be extremely upset.

"Sure you released Lee's chakra, but with along with it, you've released..." started Kakashi, but he was interupted by a huge chakra spike from Hinata, and Naruto.

The color was a flaming red, which consumed the ground around them, and caused a crater to start forming.

"...The Kyuubi's chakra..." whispered Kakashi at the awesome power.

"Quickly we have to shut down his power, Gai, Kurenai let's go!" shouted Kakashi as he popped a soldier pill into his mouth to replenish some of his chakra, and ripped a scoll out of his pocket.

Gai and Kurenai did the same and they all surrounded Naruto and Hinata in a three-person circle.

They all bit their thumbs, and wiped it across their scroll's surfaces. They then grabbed one end of the scroll with one hand, and threw the other end to the person to the left of them. As Kakashi caught Kurenai's scroll, Gai did the same by catching Kakashi's, and Kurenai caught Gai's.

They then slammed thier scrolls into the ground and began to form a complex array of hand seals.

"Lightning!" shouted Kakashi.

"Wind!" shouted Gai.

"Water!" shouted Kurenai.

"Force of a Hurricane, Jinkurichi seal no forbidden jutsu!"

They said it at the same time while slamming thier hands into the ground, along with the scroll they were each holding.

A path of light powered by chakra flowed from each scroll and met at the center around Naruto.

Lightning, wind, and water based chakra fused together on top of Naruto and Hinata and began to shut down the Kyuubi's power.

"Yes! It's working!" exclaimed Sakura.

At first it appeared as though the Kyuubi's power would be sealed but then a second chakra spike shot up from Hinata.

It was a dark blue, and had a presence of cold fire about it.

**_"NO! NOT HER!"_** shouted the Kyuubi as his power spiked to overcome this new power.

Suddenly the jutsu was broken, sending the three special jounin flying into nearby trees.

"Ouch! Damn it!" shouted Kakashi as he eased himself from his respective tree.

"Damn, why didn't it work!?" shouted Gai over the roar of the chakra.

"It must have failed because our jutsu was only designed to seal one spirit, not two!" shouted Kurenai.

"Damn! What the hell?! That's not it! The only way it could have failed, is if there was two jinkurichis!" shouted Kakashi.

"But that's impossible, Hinata isn't a host!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Well even if she isn't, how the hell are we going to stop this?!" shouted Kurenai.

Suddenly, it was quiet.

"..."

They looked over to Naruto and Hinata to find that the chakra spike had stopped completely. The sat there peacefully on the ground, and it looked as though everything was normal.

"..."

"Dude...what the hell..." said Neji to end the silence.

"Yeah...what he said." mumbled Kiba as he walked up to Neji with Kurenai's bag on his head.

"Why did it stop?" asked Sakura.

"The only reason it could be, is that they subconsciously wanted it to stop." said Kakashi as he eased himself out of his fighting stance.

"Hey, what's going on?" asked Sasuke as he walked up to Sakura.

"Sasuke?!" exclaimed Sakura as she froze in suprise.

"Yeah, and what is that you're wearing, trying something new?" asked Sasuke confusingly.

"N...No, I...I've worn this for years..." said Sakura as she got a look of realization on her face.

"Did, did he lose his memory as well? And if so, how far back?" said Kakashi wonderingly.

"Memory? What are you talking about?" asked Sasuke.

"Well, we can't be sure that Sasuke lost his memory for sure..." said Kurenai.

_'He could just be faking it to lure us into a trap...'_ thought Kurenai suspiciously.

Everyone was thinking the same, but thought different after Sasuke's eyes met Naruto's body on the floor.

"Oh my god! What the hell happened to Naruto?! He looks like a fox..." said Sasuke as he paused a bit realizing what he said.

"In a...non-sexual sort of way..." finished Sasuke as he flushed red a bit.

"(sigh)Never mind, we'll just have to fill him in after we put him under the Hokage's watch." said Kakashi as he walked up to Sasuke.

"I'm going to need to tie you up with some chakra-resistent micro filiment rope, I'll tell you why later, but for now every time you argue other wise, I'm going to say something ridiculous and annoying." said Kakashi as he started to tie up Sasuke.

"Wha...What? But wh..." started Sasuke but was interupted.

"Peanut brittle" said Kakashi rudely as he cut off Sasuke in mid sentence.

"..."

"But w..." said Sasuke.

"Nuh!" said Kakashi.

"..."

"But..." said Sasuke.

"Fergerpip!" said Kakashi.

"..."

"B..." said Sasuke.

"(cough cough)(rude cough) Sasuke's a pansy..." mumbled Kakashi.

"..."

An awkward silence followed, and nobody knew how to break it.

"...why is Naruto taped to Hinata..." said Sasuke finally as he stared at the two.

Everyone turned their attention to Naruto and Hinata, who were being moved by Shino at the time.

He took Hinata and Naruto's bodies and propped them against thier own log, so that they would not be uncomfortable.

"So, do you think that they are stable?" asked Lee as he finally got up from the ground.

"Oh god Lee! I totally forgot, are you okay?" asked Sakura worriedly.

"Yes..." said Lee as he blushed from getting Sakura's attention and finally stood up to sit down on a log.

"What was it like Lee? Having your chakra being pulled from you?" asked Neji curiously.

"It...was painful, it felt like my whole body was in a vacuum tube, and that they were and stealing my stength." said Lee as he closed his eyes to rest.

Sakura was about to ask if he was alright, but Gai interupted her.

"He'll be right as rain in a few hours, don't worry about it." assured Gai as he gave her a corny smile and a thumbs up.

Sakura smiled a bit at his goofiness and decided to drop it as she turned her attention to Sasuke, who was silently pouting on the ground next to Kakashi.

She decided to keep a watch on him for a while in case he was just faking amnesia, but the more she watched, the more she wanted to talk to him.

'Sasuke...' thought Sakura dreamily as she sighed happily.

Sasuke was annoyed at her constant staring, but seemed pre-occupied by looking at everybody else.

'Hmmm...when did everyone go through such a drastic change?' thought Sasuke as he observed his fellow ninja.

'Everyone looks so...so...older...' thought Sasuke as he then noticed his garb. He was dressed more like itachi with a high collar, the last thing he remembered wearing, was his traditional Uchiha blue shirt and white shorts, but now he was wearing all black, with white bandages around his arms.

'When did I change clothes? Why do I feel taller? And why is everyone looking at me like I'm some kind of criminal?' thought sasuke as similiar thoughts raced through his mind.

"(sigh) I don't know what you guys think I did, but I didn't, and haven't done anything wrong." said Sasuke.

"Yeah sure, and Orochimaru just magically got a clone of you to..." said Kiba but was cut off by Kakashi.

"Hey! Don't say anything to Sasuke about what's happened. If he does have amnesia, we want him to be questioned first." said Kakashi as he crossed his arms.

"Amnesia, but..." started Sasuke.

"Cooooookie..." said Kakashi.

'Grrrrr... But...amnesia...how...when...if I have amnesia, then...' thought Sasuke.

"How old am I?" asked Sasuke.

This question suprised everyone, and shocked Sakura most of all. Nobody said anything to this, because they thought that it could all be a trap.

_'What harm could it do?'_ thought Sakura as she pondered his innocence.

"If he were faking it, it's not like he wouldn't know his own birthday, so it wouldn't be like we were giving away any valuable information or anything..." said Sakura to nobody in particular as she stared at Sasuke, who was now staring very intently at her breast region.

"Sa...Sasuke!" exclaimed Sakura as she instinctively covered herself with her arms.

Sasuke realized that she had caught him staring and blushed while looked away as though interested in something else.

"Yes, but even so, we shouldn't reveal anything to him, especially WHAT we are doing on this mission, and WHO we encountered..." said Kakashi, referring to the mission's objective which was to capture Sasuke, and a brief encounter with Sasuke's brother, Itachi.

Everyone nodded and decided to ignore him, except for Sakura, who was still blushing like mad and covering herself.

Sasuke felt an extremely thick awkwardness fill the air between him and Sakura, and he had to end it, otherwise he would die of embaressment.

"So...I assume it has been at least a year so...you look nice..." said Sasuke as he blushed and looked at the ground.

Sakura didn't know what to say to this, and just stared at him with her mouth agape.

"Di...did you actually just compliment me?" asked Sakura incredulously as she continued to stare, increasing the awkwardness.

"Yes." said Sasuke as he tried to act cool and calm.

"So what?" bantered Sasuke.

"Well, it's just that...you've never complimented me on anything before, except maybe a good job once in a while during a mission." said Sakura as she continued to blush.

"Really...Ididn't realize..." started Sasuke as he looked up into her face and quickly looked away.

"I meant to..." said Sasuke as though he were apologizing to her.

Sakura felt an overwhelming need to run over to him and give him a kiss, but Kakashi could see the look in her eyes.

"No." said Kakashi.

"It is best not to talk anymore until we reach the village, and he is contained." said Gai as he crossed his arms.

Sakura pouted and stared longingly at Sasuke as he decided to observe the people around him and get a better idea of how much he had forgotten.

'Hmm... lets see, how much have you all changed...' thought Sasuke as he looked around.

'Hmm... okay, Shino looks the same...not helping...Lee has a vest on...but otherwise looks the same...Naruto...' thought Sasuke.

'Naruto looks like a fox...GOD! This is not helping...but on the brighter side, Naruto does look older...and...and more...more...' thought Sasuke as he racked his mind for a word.

"Experienced..." whispered Sasuke as he stared at Naruto's new form.

"Peanut Butter..." whispered Kakashi rudely.

"Grrrr..." growled Sasuke at Kakashi's rudeness.

Kakashi was about to retort, but was interupted by a stirring movement on the opposite side of the fire.

It was Hinata, she was stretching and cuddling up against Naruto.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and watched her movements carefully for any signs of an ailment of some sort.

"Mmmmm...(yawn)...my bed is so comfy and warm..." mumbled Hinata.

Everyone sat in suspense, waiting for Hinata to realize her surroundings.

"Mmm..." mumbled Hinata as she lazily opened her eyes, but to her suprise...she met Naruto's.

"..."

Her face turned dark red, which was probably the same color as the rest of her body at the time.

"Gyaaaah!" screamed Hinata as she squirmed to get free, but couldn't because of the tape.

She then noticed that she couldn't move her hands, but then realized that they couldn't move only because they were too busy grabbing Naruto's...

"Gyyeeeyaaaaah!" sreeched Hinata as her mind overloaded with her hormones and thoughts of Naruto.

After she couldn't get her hands free, she tried to back up out of itm but found that Naruto's hands were firmly grabbing her butt.

"Eeep!" squeeked Hinata as she felt Naruto grasp.

Neji finally came to her rescue with a kunai, and cut her loose.

Hinata quickly flung herself a few feet away from Naruto and slid her back up against a tree.

She was breathing quite rapidly, and her face was still very flushed.

She felt herslef calming down, but also felt different.

'I...I feel stronger...' thought Hinata as she looked at her hands.

Her hands looked like hers, but they felt so much more powerful than ever before.

While she was contemplating herself, Naruto had already gotten up, and ripped off the remaining duct tape.

He walked groggily over to Hinata and sat down next to her, she didn't even notice that he was there.

Naruto was going to ask her how she was, but was interupted by a sharp sensation from his posterior.

"Gah!" shouted Naruto as he stood up.

This noise got Hinata's attention, and she turned stark red again at his closeness.

"Owwie...What the..." said Naruto as he looked to see what ailed him.

Naruto looked behind him and found that the source of his pain was that he sat on his tail.

"Are...are you okay Naruto?" asked Kurenai questioningly.

"Oh, yeah, I'm just fine, I guess I just sat on my tail..." said Naruto as he realized what he had just said.

"Wait! I sat on my What?!" exclaimed Naruto as he looked behind him again to see that there was a golden fox tail flowing behind him in the wind.

"..."

"HOLY HELL!!" screamed Naruto as he grabbed his tail and began to freak out.


	18. Operation: Amnesia P1

My Heart's Lavender Eyes

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

**--**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

**--**

**_Chapter 18:_**

**_Operation: Amnesia P1_**

HOLY HELL!!" screamed Naruto as he grabbed his tail and began to freak out. He tried to run away from it, but he tripped on

Hinata's I.V. chord and fell directly into her lap.

"..."

Naruto had his face directly in between her legs, and he had face planted hard into the dirt. His tail went completely stiff

when he hit, but then went limp as he drifted into unconsciousness.

"Hinata?...Hinata?!" asked Kurenai as she waved her hand in front of her lavender eyes.

"(sigh) She fainted..." said Kurenai.

"It always happens so quickly, and only when HE is around her!" accused Kurenai as she pointed at Naruto who was still in a very inappropriate position.

"..."

(snap!)

Everyone looked for the source of the noise, to find that Kiba had taken another picture.

"Couldn't resist, it's too coincidential..." said Kiba as he snickered to himself.

"What, like your mom actually being a bitch?" asked Kakashi to try and quiet him down.

"Hey! That was a long time ago, and it was only because of her drinking problem, which she has licked by the way!" shouted Kiba.

Everyone quieted down into another awkward silence until Kakashi decided to break it.

"Perhaps we should take into action my mental plan, which I haven't shared with any of you as of now." said Kakashi dramatically, gaining everyone's attention.

"..."

"Well, what is your plan?" asked Neji.

"Remove the fox boy from Hinata before his tongue spasms in his unconsciousness or something..." said Kakashi as both his eyebrows went up and down suggestively.

"If you catch my drift..." said Kakashi

"YES! We got it! Geez..." said TenTen as she covered her face in embarrassment and blushed.

"Right then, best get to it..." said Kakashi as he got up to move Naruto.

_**--**_

_**"Kiiiiiit..."**_ said a voice.

_**"Hey Kiiiiiiiiiit..."**_ said the voice again.

_**"Wake up moron!"**_shouted the Kyuubi as he angrily awaited the awakening of his host.

"Ugh! Kyuubi? Do you have any idea what time it is?!" exclaimed Naruto as he rubbed his eyes.

_**"Yes, a couple seconds after you passed out you infathomable ignoramus!"**_shouted the Kyuubi.

"Passed out? wait a minute, why am I here...and what's an ig...nor...aaammm...us?" asked Naruto confusingly.

_**"1, Because I allowed you to be here, and 2, it's the same time as an idiot."**_said the Kyuubi angrily.

_**"We need to talk..."**_continued the Kyuubi.

"Ridiculous..." murmured Naruto.

_**"WHAT WAS THAT?!"**_shouted the Kyuubi loudly enough to make Naruto's ears ring.

"I said...Uh...Red tick, you bus!" said Naruto as he mentally hit himself for being an idiot.

_'Wow, that was dumb...' _thought Naruto.

_**"Yeah, I know."**_said Kyuubi teasingly.

"..."

_**"...Anyways...Naruto, we need to talk about something."**_said the Kyuubi dramatically.

"(sigh) okay, shoot" said Naruto, ready for the worst.

_**"Naruto, there comes a time in every young man's life, when he looks at a girl and thinks to himself: Damn! I gotta hit that!"**_said the Kyuubi with a completely straight face.

Naruto sat there for a couple seconds in complete emotional confusion. He didn't know whether to hide himself from embarassment, or laugh his head off.

"...Kyuubi...are you on some new allergy meds or something?" questioned Naruto cautiously.

_**"Wha...NO! I was just giving you THE TALK, because to me, it looks as though you need it..."**_said Kyuubi.

"No, I already got that talk from Iruka a long time ago, it was the worst..." said Naruto as he thought for a second.

"Kyuubi, why did you give the talk so...weirdly?" asked Naruto curiously.

_**"Weirdly? That was the same speech my father gave me..." **_said the Kyuubi.

"Wow...no wonder you're so fucked up..." mumbled Naruto.

_**"I'm ignoring that..."**_said Kyuubi as he closed his eyes and looked away as though he didn't care.

"Wait...Kyuubi..." said Naruto as he lingered on a thought.

"Why did you think I needed it?" asked Naruto inquisitively.

_**"Where I come from, that's what a father tells his son when he meets with a girl in heat and doesn't know what to do..."**_said Kyuubi.

_**"But, if you say you don't need it..." **_teased the Kyuubi, knowing he'd fall for the bait.

"Wait! What girl?" asked Naruto confused at Kyuubi's prodding.

_**"Nobody at all...nobody at all...just thought I'd mess with ya."**_said Kyuubi with a smile.

_**'I'll let him discover who that is on his own...' **_thought Kyuubi happily.

"You're a sick twisted person you know that?" asked Naruto rhetorically.

_**'Better not tell him who likes him, I don't want to give him all of the answers...'**_thought Kyuubi humorously.

_**"Yep."**_said Kyuubi.

_**"But anyways, the reason I really wanted to talk to you, was to tell you that with power, comes responsibility, and with my powers...also comes a set of ears and a tail apparently..."**_said the Kyuubi humorously as he gave Naruto a studying look of interest.

Naruto knew he had a tail, but after what Kyuubi had said, he stood completely stiff. He slowly reached up to where his ears should have been, and instead of his normal small human ears, there was two long golden Elven looking ears with a smooth furry texture.

Naruto didn't say anything, but kept his gaze on Kyuubi.

**'Huh, I thought he'd freak out again.' **thought Kyuubi.

_**"There's something important I think I should fill you in on, it's about the past 24 hours, and how you've forgotten them..."**_said the Kyuubi as he waited to gauge Naruto's reaction, which was predictable.

"Forgot them? What do you mean?" asked Naruto in confusion.

_**"(sigh) Let me explain..."**_said the Kyuubi.

He then began to explain what had happened within the past 24 hours, the mission, the tunnel, orochimaru, but he made sure to leave out all parts about Hinata without seeming suspicious. He then explained how he was forced to give him his powers, resulting in his current fox form.

_**"Now that I have told you what has happened, do you understand?"**_asked the Kyuubi.

After a long silence Naruto finally looked up at him and nodded. He had a worn and passive look on his face, but that was understandable after such an ordeal.

"So what you're saying is...that I caused a chakra spike that wiped the memories of me, Hinata, and Kakashi for the last 24 hours?" asked Naruto inquisitively.

_**"That is correct, as well as Sasuke Uchiha, for an unknown period of time."**_said Kyuubi.

"Wait, why is Sasuke's unknown, and everybody else got 24 hours?" asked Naruto questioningly.

_**"Well, every person has a different chakra system, therefore, everyone will react differently to a certain kind of chakra. They could react extremely differently, or even just a little bit differently."**_ said Kyuubi as Naruto nodded.

_**"So not everybody got 24 hours, but that is a pretty good estimate based on the people and the amount of power that radiated from you during the spike."**_said Kyuubi, who was suprised to find that Naruto understood everything he just said.

"I get it, but before when you were telling me about my second chakra spike...why did Hinata have a chakra spike as well?" asked Naruto.

_**'Crap! I can't tell him about that yet! He has to figure it out on his own!' **_thought Kyuubi as he thought of something to say.

_**"Well, you were hooked up to a chakra transfer system at the time, I would say that your chakra was SO great, that it simply escaped out of her body as well."**_ lied the Kyuubi through his teeth.

"Huh, I guess that makes since." said Naruto as he scratched his head.

_**'Phew!' **_thought Kyuubi in relief.

**_'If he had asked about HER I wouldn't have had any fake stories ready to give him!' _**thought Kyuubi as he sighed in relief.

_**"Naruto, now that you have my chakra, I would say that it is only safe to go up to 4/9 of my full power.**_" said Kyuubi.

"4/9? why 4/9?" asked Naruto.

_**"Because kit, with one tail, you are using only 1/9 of my power, which is more than enough coupled with your own power if you ask me."**_said Kyuubi.

"So...can I like...turn it off?" asked Naruto hopefully.

_**"Yes, there is a way."**_said Kyuubi.

"And that is?" asked Naruto.

_**"If you die."**_said Kyuubi simply.

"...you're not helping..." said Naruto.

_**"(sigh) There is a way..."**_said Kyuubi.

**_"But I don't think that you are going to like it..." _**finished Kyuubi as he gave him a look of worry.

"Kyuubi, anything to get rid of this form." said Naruto with an affirmed look on his face.

_**"(sigh) Naruto, is it really so bad being a kitsune?"**_asked Kyuubi. (kitsune is a fox)

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"Of course it is! I have a tail..." started Naruto.

_**"Which can be used as a third arm..." **_finished Kyuubi.

"Yeah well...I have huge pointy ears..." started Naruto again.

_**"Which increase your sense of hearing ten-fold when applied." **_finished Kyuubi again.

"Well, my ears are too..."started Naruto again.

_**"Cute and attractive to girls your age." **_finished Kyuubi yet again.

_**"I mean, what girl your age doesn't want to snuggle with a cute fluffy fox?"**_asked Kyuubi, waiting for his reply.

"...I...I guess your right...I guess this isn't so bad..." said Naruto as he thought about it.

_**"See? It's not so bad, if anything it is a great advantage."**_said Kyuubi.

"...I guess this is something I could get used to..." said Naruto as he felt his ears again.

_'Oh! They're so soft...' _thought Naruto as he played with them.

"And my tail is so easy to use..." said Naruto as he swayed his tail back and forth, but then it swung around and hit him in the face.

_'That's gonna need some practice...' _thought Naruto.

_**"Hmmm..."**_said Kyuubi as he observed him.

_**"If you think that is easy, try using your chakra..." **_hinted Kyuubi.

"Hmm...alright." said Naruto as he formed a rasengan in his hand without barely any effort, the blue sphere floated on his hand with ease and barely made a dent in his chakra's power.

"Whoa! I AM much MUCH stronger than before... and I seem to keep having this urge to...AHH!" shouted Naruto as he suddenly felt his arm turn into meatballs and fall onto the floor.

"OH GOD! OH MY FREAKING GOD! OH GOD MY FREAKING!" screamed Naruto as he slowly started to not make since.

_**"CALM DOWN OR I'LL CUT OFF YOUR TAIL!"**_shouted Kyuubi menacingly.

"(gasp) you wouldn't..." whimpered Naruto as he hugged his tail protectively with both of his arms.

"Hey! My arm is back to normal!" said Naruto as he examined his arm, and looked to see that there were no meatballs to be found.

**_"Yeah. Duh. It's kitsune illusion magic, it has the same basics as your human's genjutsus, but takes more concentration to master. Your arm changed back because you shifted your attention and concentration away from your arm..."_**said Kyuubi.

_**"As to why your arm changed into meatballs, it was probably because you are..."**_said Kyuubi as he was interrupted by a loud noise from Naruto's stomach.

(Gggrrrrrnnnnn...)

"Hungry." finished Naruto as Kyuubi nodded his head.

"It all makes since now..." said Naruto as Kyuubi suddenly became a giant bowl of ramen.

"Um...is there a trick to shutting this off?" asked Naruto hopefully as the walls turned to celery.

_'I don't even really like celery, I'm getting desperate...' _thought Naruto as he listened to Kyuubi.

_**"Yes, you must think of your task at hand, and concentrate on whatever image first comes to mind when you think of the word -illusion-."**_said Kyuubi.

"When I think of the word illusion...I think of a fox...ironic..." said Naruto.

_**"Good, just think of that image with an X over it, and it should turn off until you think of the fox image again."**_said Kyuubi.

Naruto did as he said and everything turned back to normal.

"Wow, it worked." said Naruto.

"Now let me explain how the kitsune illusions work" said Kyuubi.

"They are illusions, nothing more, and you can even manipulate peoples feelings, just like genjutsu."

"You actually felt your arm being turned into meatballs, only because your brain thought it should, but that was only after you recognized the image of your hand veing turned into meatballs, do you understand?" asked Kyuubi.

"Yeah, it's kinda complicated, but I think I'll manage..." said Naruto as he whipped his tail back and forth playfully.

_**"It's no surprise that you turned on the kitsune illusion powers, since you were thinking of your kitsune tail at the time, you have to learn to control that."**_ said Kyubbi as a flash of light flickered in the room for a second.

**"Hmmm... It appears that you are regaining consciousness, until next time."** said Kyuubi as he gave him a small smile.

"Wait! What? This is all so sudden!" exclaimed Naruto.

"It's too much too fast!" said Naruto as he began to feel grass under his chest.

Naruto felt everything around him fade and melt away as the Kyuubi continued to smile at him.

_**"Keep in mind what I have told you...hormonal little kitsune..."**_laughed Kyuubi as he melted from sight.

Before he could retort he felt his surroundings fade away, only to be replaced by soft grass underneath his stomach, and the sight of lavender undies.

"..."

He looked up to find the face of a very familiar Hyuuga girl, her eyes shocked and her face red.

Naruto quickly realized his position and flung himself to her side as though nothing happened, but before he sat down, he swept his tail towards Hinata so that he wouldn't sit on it again.

Kakashi jumped in surprise when Naruto suddenly moved, but was more surprised at his calm posture, although his face was red from what looked like embarrassment.

Naruto's tail flicked in front of Hinata's face for a second, waking her up.

She shook her head and recognized her surroundings, (the tail made it obvious), and immediately remembered what had happened. She looked down to find that Naruto was no longer between her legs, but had moved to her right.

He was doing his best to act natural, but his face was still a little red.

_'Everyone is looking at you, just try to act non-chalant, and try to keep your kitsune illusion magic under control...' _thought Naruto as he examined his nails and flicked his tail around as inconspicuously as possible.

"Naruto...are you okay?" asked Sakura worriedly.

Sasuke looked up at Sakura to see that she was worried, but looked back at Naruto to see his reaction. Naruto glanced at Sasuke only once to see that he was tied up, and decided to ignore him for now.

Sasuke had seen the whole thing, and was intently waiting for Naruto to realize where he was, and to start freaking out about his fox-like features again. Everyone was waiting, but the freak out never came, Naruto just looked up from his nails calmly and quickly, and looked directly at Sakura who jumped at his quick movement.

"Yes, quite fine... why would you ask?" said Naruto perfectly, although it was a little over-acted.

(Grrrrrrnnnnnn)

"...I am a bit hungry though..." said Naruto as he rubbed his stomach.

Naruto's words struck Hinata from her stupor, and she quickly got up and began to rummage through her backpack.

'Now's my chance to show Naruto some kindness.' thought Hinata as she continued to rummage.

She finally pulled out a large pot, and placed it on the fire. She then formed a few hand signs and conjured some water from the ground into the pot. At the fire's temperature, the water quickly began to boil, and Hinata began to fill the pot with ramen noodles.

"I'll make you some food Naruto." said Hinata as she began to stir the noodles around.

Everyone was surprised at Hinata's sudden cooking, but they all simultaneously decided that they had best drop it.

"Wow! Thank you Hinata!" said Naruto with a smile.

Just Naruto's words of kindness were enough to make her blush with excitement, and she instantly become nervous.

"Th-thank you N-Naruto." stuttered Hinata as she turned her attention away from Naruto so that she wouldn't be so stressed.

_'Okay...Okay, you're cooking for Naruto, just give him some good food, then try to strike up a conversation with him after everyone is done eating.' _thought Hinata as she affirmed herself to at least TALK to Naruto while she was stuck in the middle of the forest with him.

"Are...aren't you freaking out about your tail and ears?" asked Kiba worriedly.

"...No, while I was unconscious, I realized that having these new features would only be an advantage, so there is no reason to freak." said Naruto calmly as he gazed at Hinata.

Hinata noticed his gaze and blushed, but continued her cooking as she added some seasonings to distract herself from him.

"Wha...While you were...unconscious?..." asked Neji incredulously as he looked at Naruto with disbelief. Naruto nodded then gently grabbed Hinata's hand. She jumped only slightly when she realized he was just taking out her I.V., then took out his. She blushed from the contact, but turned her attention back to the food so she wouldn't be so embarrassed.

"Yeah, I had this weird dream, and it made me realize that this isn't so bad." said Naruto as he put the I.V. back into Kakashi's med kit at his feet. While he was pre-occupying himself with this, his tail absent-mindedly fluttered closer to Hinata.

His tail lightly grazed her upper thigh, and she jumped what must have been 30 yards into the air.

"Eeep!" squeaked Hinata as she flew to the nearest tree with heavy breathing and deep blushing.

"Naruto! careful where you put that tail! Hinata is very jumpy when she gets caught off guard." scolded Kurenai as she gave him a bad look.

"Oh! I apologize Kurenai!" said Naruto as his speech oozed with sarcasm and he stood to give her a regal bow.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't have mastered how to use my tail within a time span of a couple hours just for you!" exclaimed Naruto.

"It will take some time to get used to!" said Naruto, defending himself as he stood stubbornly with his arms crossed.

"No need to be so snappy! I'm just saying...be more careful." said Kurenai as she calmed herself down.

Naruto smiled and suddenly disappeared in a short flash of light.

He reappeared by Hinata's side and scooped her from the tree bridal style and landed her safely on the ground next to her cooking pot.

"M'lady" said Naruto gentlemanly as he gently lowered Hinata's feet to the ground and let her stand. Hinata almost fainted from the romance of it all in her mind, but she kept her head long enough to at least give him thanks.

"Th-thank y-you, you...you d-didn't have to..." started Hinata.

"Yes, I do have to, it was the least I could do since I scared you up there in the first place, AND you ARE making me a hot meal." said Naruto as he sat back on the ground, remembering to move his tail to the side.

_'I'd like to make HIM a hot meal for myself to eat...'_ thought Hinata pervertedly as she blushed from the images that now plagued her mind.

She shook her head and cleared her thoughts.

"Th-thank you." said Hinata as she picked up her wooden spoon to keep stirring the ramen.

It wasn't long before the ramen was done, but in the mean-time, they struck up random conversations with each other in the normal fashion, leaving Shino and Kakashi to be the only ones to not be in the circle yet again.

Kakashi and shino sat in silence whilst everyone else talked amongst themselves.

"..."

"Dude that's messed up..." said Kakashi.

"Ramen's r-ready." said Hinata as everyone grabbed a bowl. Naruto went last so that he could properly thank Hinata for cooking for him.

"Thanks again Hinata, I'm sure it's delicious." said Naruto as he walked up to Hinata.

_'Oh god! Okay, this is nothing! Just give him a bowl.' _thought Hinata.

She reached out with a smile and offered Naruto a bowl. Naruto took the bowl and poured ramen in until it was full.

"How much do you want?" asked Naruto.

"You haven't eaten yet." said Naruto as he pointed at her stomach.

"No it's fine, I would only eat what is in that bowl anyway, so you can have as much as you want." said Hinata as she felt her face flush.

_'He's talking to me!' _thought Hinata excitedly.

"Okay." said Naruto as he handed her his bowl. He then took the entire pot and chugged down what must have been 3 gallons of ramen.

"..."

Everyone sat in shock as he downed it in one swift gulp.

"..."

"Holy crap..." said Kakashi finally.

Naruto paused for a second after setting down the pot, and had a stunned look on his face as he seemed to be staring off into space.

"Naruto...are you..." started Hinata, but she stopped when Naruto's face was suddenly right in front of her's.

"Wow Hinata! This food is awesome! Seriously! You are going to make some guy the perfect wife!" exclaimed Naruto with a smile as he sat down on the ground and patted his belly.

"Seriously though Hinata, I don't think I've ever had better ramen, man, you are going to make some guy a very happy husband." assured Naruto as he smiled at her.

_'W-w-wife?!' _thought Hinata as she blushed from head to toe.

"Oh jeez..." said Kurenai as she saw Hinata's flushing face.

Hinata then fell over and drifted into unconsciousness on Naruto's lap.

"Hinata? Hinata! are you okay?" asked Naruto as he frantically felt her pulse.

"She'll be all right, just let her have her rest." said Kurenai as she put her hand on her head in frustration.

"Oh, okay" said Naruto as he picked her up by her hips with ease.

_'Wow...' _thought Naruto as he examined her face.

_'She looks hot.' _thought Naruto as he noticed her red face.

"It must be because of her jacket...it looks way too warm on her." said Naruto.

He unzipped her jacket and held out his tail to hang it up on.

"There, she'll be much..." said Naruto as he froze at the sight of Hinata's body figure.

It had been hidden behind her big fluffy Hyuuga jacket, and Naruto had never thought to think of her in such a way, so he was quite caught off guard by her hidden appearance.

"...Cooler..." said Naruto as he caught himself with his mouth agape, so he quickly closed his mouth and looked away while blushing a bit.

He took her hips, and put them between his legs and rested her back against his chest so that she would be comfortable.

"Doesn't this look familiar?" hinted Kiba humorously as he nudged Kakashi with his elbow.

"Shush!" whispered Kakashi loudly as he conked Kiba on the head.

"Ow!" complained Kiba.

"What? What's so familiar?" asked Naruto curiously as he gave him a questioning look.

"Uh...uh...beeeecaaaaause...During the mission in the cave, we all sat in a circle just like this, only we had a bunch of fold-up chairs that Kakashi made." said Kurenai in relief that she had thought of a cover-up so quickly.

She then thought back and remembered the times that she and Kakashi had in the caves, and she gazed off into nothing to reminisce about it.

"(sigh)" sighed Kurenai happily as she held her heart.

_'What's her deal?...' _thought Kakashi as he watched her with interest.

"Oh..." said Naruto as he looked around at everyone.

_'This does seem familiar somehow...'_thought Naruto as he adjusted Hinata so that her head wasn't limp.

Her head fell to the right and rested comfortably in the crook of his neck while she sighed happily. Naruto blushed as the wind blew Hinata's hair into his face. At first, his reaction was to get it away from his face, but then his new fox senses caught the scent of her hair.

_'Mmmmm...Lavender and Lilac...'_thought Naruto as he blushed and also sighed happily.

Everyone was watching this, and Kurenai was even getting fidgety.

_'Grrr! They look so happy together, even when one of them is unconscious! It's almost killing me to not tell them what happened in the caves.'_thought Kurenai as she fidgeted back and forth in her seat and bit her lip.

"Relax Kurenai, here take this, it will make you more relaxed." said Kakashi as he handed her a small vile filled with a green powder.

Kurenai blushed and took the vile.

"What is it?" asked Kurenai while she examined the green powder.

"It is called green herb, I got it from this guy I know." said Kakashi as he closed his bag.

"Who, Asuma?" asked Kurenai curiously.

"No, this guy that calls himself Merchant. He's an old friend of mine." said Kakashi as he now had his full attention of Kurenai.

"What does he do for a living?" asked Kurenai as she tried to keep a conversation going.

"I don't know, but right now, I think he's using his ninja skills to follow around this guy named Leon in Spain." said Kakashi as he scratched his chin while thinking about it.

"Any money in it?" asked Kurenai.

"Well, he's charging outrageous prices to this guy who buys his weapons, and he's got hundreds of thousands of dollars off of this one guy! He doesn't know how this guy Leon keeps affording it, but he told me that it was worth it to keep following him around..." said Kakashi as Kurenai nodded and put the vile in her pocket.

"Oh, sounds like a con-man." said Kurenai.

"No not really, he should charge more than he does for all of the crazy villagers that keep trying to kill everyone in that area..." said Kakashi as he looked back at Naruto and Hinata to end the conversation.

'Damn it, I have to tell him the truth, then maybe he''l take to me like he did the first time...' thought Kurenai as she too looked over at Naruto and Hinata.

Naruto had fallen asleep, and had his head snuggled up against her head.

"Mmmm...Lavender..." said Naruto in his sleep.

"Ssshhh! Quiet! I think he's sleep-talking!" exclaimed Sakura as they all listened in.

"Lilac...really hot body..." mumbled Naruto.

"..."

"Wow, Okay! That's enough listening in for now!" hinted TenTen to everyone as they all began to strike up conversations again.

All of the girls joined up together and talked while looking over their shoulders at Naruto, and then later at Kakashi while giggling most of the time.

Lee and Gai were talking about some kind of fist while making fighting poses, and Neji was talking to Kiba about his messed up childhood.

The only ones left were Shino and Kakashi. They both were standing awkwardly near the center of the fire, and were the only ones not having a good conversation, except for Naruto and Hinata.

"..."

"Wow, this is so unfair..." said Kakashi.

"Yeah, this is kind of mean..." said Shino.

"So..." said Kakashi, trying to strike up a conversation with the bug-boy.

"So...you like porn?" asked Kakashi as he held up his Icha Icha Paradise book.

"..."

Shino turned around without saying a word and walked to the other side of the camp to sit down.

"..."

"So that's a no?" asked Kakashi humorously as he tucked the book away.

_'Well, everyone's busy, so I guess I'll check on Shark-man and Sir-kills-my-clan.'_thought Kakashi as he took out his binoculars.

He pointed them through a gap n the trees to see a bottom of a far away branch. He adjusted the binoculars so that he could focus, and then looked to the top of the branch. On top of the branch, was Itachi and Kisame. Itachi was sitting there on the branch, and was boredly kicking his feet against the tree.

'Hmm...nothing suspicious yet' thought Kakashi as he turned his attention to the left.

When he looked over at Kisame, he was surprised to see that Kisame was looking through his own binoculars back at him. Kisame saw him looking at him, so he smiled and put down his binoculars to wave.

Their position was quite a ways away from their camp, but Kakashi could have sworn he heard their distant voices.

"Don't wave you idiot!" said Itachi as he conked him on the head.

"I was just being polite!" exclaimed Kisame as he rubbed his head.

"I'll show you polite!' shouted Itachi as he tackled Kisame off of the branch and down to the ground.

Kakashi then heard several miscellaneous fighting noises, followed by an abrupt (thud!).

"..."

"Owwie..." said Kisame.

"(sigh) Makes you proud that these guys are supposed to be the evil ones..." said Kakashi

"Huh...did you say something?" asked Sasuke.

_'Crap! I forgot about Sasuke! He can't find out that his brother is here, or he will go berserk!'_thought Kakashi as gave Sasuke a puzzled look.

"Hmm? No. I was just talking to myself..." said Kakashi as he put away his binoculars and looked at Naruto who looked so happy while he slept with Hinata.

_'Wow, the report I'm going to give Tsunade is going to be a doozy...'_ thought Kakashi as they all sat around the camp, waiting for their bodies to recover.

--

END OF CHAPTER

Well, that's the end of this chapter! I will thouroughly enjoy any reviews I get, but in the mean time, please spread the word about my story, and if you have a website of your own, please recomend my story and offer a link to it!

Pretty Please!? :)

(It would actually help alot...)

Oh well, until next time...

Asparugus


	19. Operation: Amnesia P2

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 19:**_

_**Operation: Amnesia P2**_

Everyone had finished eating, and had their fill, but the food, combined with prolonged exhaustion, had put them to sleep.

It was nearing morning and although there was 11 sleeping ninja, there were still two sitting restlessly in the trees, awaiting to move.

"Itachi." said Kisame who was leaning on his sword boredly.

"Yes?" asked Itachi.

"Why not now?, they are all asleep for god sake...It would be so easy." said Kisame as he looked longingly at the camp.

"Kisame, are you not catching my drift?" asked Itachi tiredly.

"I told you, doing that would be like trying to steal an egg from a sleeping dragon." said Itachi with a clear show of patience.

"But..." started Kisame.

"A dragon with the power of the strongest creature on the planet, with a disgruntled temper towards the Akatsuki, for which there would probably be no escape." added Itachi which made Kisame gulp.

"I...I see your point. Your right, we need to wait." said Kisame with a sigh.

There was a silence for about a minute until it was broken yet again, annoying the eldest Uchiha.

"Are we still on for tea at 4:00?" asked Kisame.

"(sigh) As far as I know, he has not yet given us any signal as to otherwise, so I would say yes." said Itachi.

"So, how are two Akatsuki members going to just walk into their village?" asked Kisame curiously.

"Ha. Walk in? No. We are going to be carried." said Itachi.

"Follow my lead." said Itachi dramatically as he jumped from his branch.

"Heh. Now your talkin." said Kisame as he followed Itachi to the ground.

--

A few hours have passed since their conversation, and Hinata was starting to show signs of consciousness.

"Aaaaaahhhhh..." yawned Hinata as she stretched her arms only to find that they were being held back by strong orange sleeves.

"Na...Naruto?" stuttered Hinata as she turned completely red.

"Heh. That was cute." said Naruto as he moved his head closer to her's.

"You sounded like a cute little mouse yawning." joked Naruto as he chuckled to himself.

"Gah!" squeaked Hinata as she jumped up from Naruto's lap. She whipped around and stood in front of him with a surprised look on her face which was still red from her unexpected morning greeting.

_'Na...Naruto was...was h-holding m-me?' _thought Hinata as her mind rushed through the possibilities.

_'For how long? All n-night?' _thought Hinata as her blush deepened.

"Geez Hinata don't be so jumpy, It's just me." assured Naruto with a smile.

_'If he only knew...' _thought Hinata as she calmed herself down.

"W-wait, Naruto...how...h-how long w-were you h-holding m-me?" asked Hinata nervously.

"Well, based on the height of the sun, which just rose...I'd say about 9 hours..." said Naruto as he scratched his chin.

Hinata could have died from either the excitement or the embarrassment, but then she noticed something that made it worse.

She nervously put her arms up to her chest in reaction to her realization, and tried to look Naruto in the eye.

"N-Naruto...where is m-my j-j-jacket?" asked Hinata nervously, as though she were afraid of the answer.

"Hmm? Oh! I took it off of you because it looked like you were heating up, your face was all red after you fainted." said Naruto who decided that he should drop the subject of why she fainted in case it was personal.

"After I took it off of you, I had Kiba put it...um...right there." said Naruto as he pointed at the log across the camp which had her jacket on it.

It was her old tan hoody Hyuuga jacket, with the red Hyuuga insignia on each shoulder, and white fluffy puffballs at the end of each hood string. She had it for a while then stopped wearing it after she out-grew it, but the wind jacket she wore after that made her look kind of fat, so she had her old jacket refitted to her size.

"After night came, you were shivering, and since you were on top of me..." said Naruto as Hinata blushed uncontrollably.

"I didn't want to wake you, so I couldn't get to your jacket. I warmed you with my body heat." said Naruto as he too blushed a bit.

Hinata blushed and was going to try to give him thanks, but Naruto held up his hand to stop her.

"No thanks are necessary Hinata, It was no trouble at all." said Naruto as he leaned over and rummaged in his bag. Hinata waited patiently for him to emerge from his bag, and it finally paid off. Naruto took out two energy bars from his bag and threw one at Hinata. Hinata went to catch it, but was caught off guard by it's surprising weight.

"Wow! It m-must weigh at l-least 5 p-pounds!" exclaimed Hinata as she gazed at the bar.

"Yeah, it's actually a four-course meal consisting of granola, oats, honey, apples, and peanut butter." said Naruto as he stuffed half of it into his mouth.

"W-wow! H-how does all of that f-food get into such a small p-package?" asked Hinata curiously.

"All of the food is taken together, mixed into a pot, then it is condensed until it can fit into your pocket." said Naruto as he put the rest in his bag.

"I got them from Kakashi, he said he got them from some guy in spain..." said Naruto as he set his bag against a tree.

"Oh." said Hinata as she bent down to put hers into her own bag.

"Uhn! Owwie..." said Hinata as she put a hand on her back and cringed.

"What's wrong Hinata?" asked Naruto.

"M-My back f-feels like it's full of knots, it has felt this w-way ever since w-we started this t-trip." said Hinata as she rubbed her back.

Naruto walked up to her while blushing, and quickly moved within her personal space.

Naruto did it so fast, that Hinata didn't have time to react until he was already there, so she just looked away from him and froze in place while trying not to look too surprised or anxious.

"Would you...would you like me to massage your back?" asked Naruto while blushing.

Hinata softly gasped and turned to look at him. Naruto blushed even more and quickly looked away.

"Wha...What?" asked Hinata incredulously.

"I'm really good at that sort of thing, I know where all of the muscles are, and I know which ones need applied pressure and rubbing." said Naruto as he continued to stare at his shoes in embarrassment.

_'I can't believe this is happening, it's like a dream come true...but I know something else I'd rather have him apply pressure to and rub...'_thought Hinata pervertedly as she shook her head of such thoughts so she could answer.

Of his features she noticed something cute. While Naruto was waiting for her response, the fox ears on top of his head were twitching back and forth, as though they were trying to get better sound reception or something.

_'Oh! So cute!'_thought Hinata as Naruto anxiously awaited her reply.

"Oh. O-Okay then." said Hinata nervously as she continuously looked from the ground to Naruto while blushing.

"Okay then." affirmed Naruto as he clasped his hands together.

"Take off your shirt and lie down." said Naruto.

"Ex...Excuse m-me?!" asked Hinata incredulously as her facial color resembled a cherry.

I need to be able to see your muscles, I know it's embarrassing, but I need you to take off your shirt." said Naruto as he turned around to give her some privacy.

"I won't look. trust me." said Naruto as he closed his eyes as well.

Hinata blushed an entirely different hue of red, as thoughts raced through her head.

_'Oh god! Okay...I'm actually going to take off my shirt for Naruto...'_ thought Hinata as she kept her head.

_'Come on you can do this!'_thought Hinata as she slowly took off her shirt.

'I did it!' thought Hinata as she placed her shirt in a log, then she laid down on her stomach and put her arms to the side so that she covered herself.

"O-ok-k-kay" stuttered Hinata nervously as Naruto turned around and quickly advanced on her.

He jumped through the air and landed so that he was standing over her.

"(gasp!)" gasped Hinata.

Before she could do anything, Naruto kneeled down and placed his hands on her back.

'Wow, her skin is so...soft, so...perfect...' thought Naruto, as he wondered how he hadn't noticed before.

Suddenly he felt his head hurt, and an image was shown for a second. It was vague, but it showed Hinata in his lap, but she was hugging him. Naruto blushed, and didn't know what to make of this, but then noticed the surroundings, it looked as though they were underground.

Naruto shook his head so that he could think, and decided that he must have just thought it up randomly.

He then began to massage Hinata's upper back. He placed his thumbs on each side of her spine, then rubbed the muscles up and down.

"Oh!" gasped Hinata.

"You alright?" asked Naruto as he stopped.

"P-please d-don't stop, it feels really g-good." stuttered Hinata as grabbed the ground from the relief she was getting.

Naruto continued to rub and got similar sounds from Hinata. He then moved so that he was farther forward and began to massage her shoulder back and forth, from the left to the right.

"Oh! Uhn! Uh!" gasped Hinata as she grabbed the ground harder.

_'It feels so good!'_thought Hinata as she sighed happily and held her breath from the pleasure.

Naruto then shifted his body again, but this time moved back and sat on her butt.

Hinata gasped and blushed from this new position, but she didn't get to say much.

She was cut off by a wonderful sensation. Naruto had taken his hand and rocked his body forward so that applied all most of his weight to her lower back.

"Uhn! Oh God! That's the knot!" gasped Hinata as she ripped out some grass and renewed her grasp to the ground in a quck motion.

_'Ha! Found it!'_thought Naruto as he placed his hands on the same spot and rocked his body back and forth so that she was getting the full pressure against her muscles.

"Oh GOD! YES! YES!! YES!!" screamed Hinata as she let her self be rocked back and forth by Naruto.

"Um...Am I interrupting something?" asked Kakashi.

They both froze and looked up to see everyone in camp was awake from Hinata's screaming.

"Hinata!?" exclaimed Kurenai as she stood up from her resting place.

"I expected better from you!" shouted Kurenai.

"But..."said Hinata who was still pinned to the ground.

"How could you let him go so far?!" continued Kurenai who ignored her.

"But we weren't..." said Naruto as he was interupted by Kurenai flying at him.

"You perverted pig!" shouted Kurenai as she went in to land a kick on Naruto face.

In reaction, Naruto jumped off of Hinata and flew through a few hand-signs.

He then took a stance that Neji knew all too well.

_'Gentle fist? But how?'_thought Neji.

He didn't recall that Naruto had performed gentle fist on him before, because he was knocked unconscious and couldn't remember anything from that day.

Right before Kurenai's kick landed, Naruto disappeared from sight. Kurenai landed and whipped around.

"Don't hide you cow..." said Kurenai who saw that Naruto was standing in front of Hinata with his hands out-stretched.

"...ard..." finished Kurenai as she stared at him with anger.

"W-we didn't d-do anything l-like th-that!" exclaimed Hinata from behind Naruto.

"Yeah, I was just giving her a massage!" defended Naruto.

"Yeah, that's what they all say..." said Kakashi.

"You're not helping!" exclaimed Naruto as Kakashi smiled sheepishly.

"Hinata! He got your shirt off! explain that!" accused Kurenai who kept meanly staring at Naruto.

"(sigh) I needed to see her..." started Naruto, but was interrupted.

"Breasts?" asked Kiba humorously.

Kiba was the only one didn't look surprised, since he was taking pictures the entire time.

"Wha? N-NO!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Her muscles! I needed to see her muscles so that I could massage them..." said Naruto who just realized that Hinata was standing up behind him with nothing but a bra on. The only reason he realized this was because she had pressed herself up against his back so that so would be fully covered...(Lets just say that it was a cold morning...)

Naruto quickly rushed over to the log where her shirt and jacket laid, and passed them to Hinata, while he zoomed back over to defend her.

Kurenai could see the emotion in Naruto's eyes, they were determined, and loving, definitely not the eyes of a liar.

"(sigh) Fine, I believe you, but you can't blame me, that did sound an awful lot like..." said Kurenai who blushed at the thought along with Naruto and Hinata.

"Ha, yeah! That was so graphic!" chuckled Kiba as he grabbed his bag and threw his camera back into the bag while stifling his laughter.

"Sh...shut up!!" shouted Naruto as Kiba shrugged.

"I fell asleep on the other side of my log, so when I got up, I could only see Naruto moving on top and Hinata screaming..." said Kiba as he smiled at him.

Naruto was about to shout at him again, but Kurenai beat him to it.

"Kiba! Shut up! Your going to make Hinata..."

(plop)

Hinata fainted and fell onto the ground.

"(sigh) Faint..." said Kurenai as she put her hand to her head in frustration.

"Okay, this has to stop." said Naruto as he rummaged around his pockets. He pulled out a vile of yellow powder. He pried the cork off nd held the vile up to her nose. Suddenly Hinata jumped from the ground, spun around, and slammed face- first into Naruto. In reaction Naruto threw the vile into the air, and grabbed Hinata so she wouldn't fall. The vile flew threw tha air, and landed in Kiba's hands without spilling a drop.

"Wow, I didn't even spill any, Huh, must be my lucky day..." said Kiba as he was interupted by a black clur which flew out of the vile into his face.

It was the spider.

"Aaahhhh!! WHYYYYYYY?!" screamed Kiba as he tried to pry it off.

In the struggle. Kiba dropped the vile to the ground, but before it could break, Kakashi caught it.

Kakashi was about to ask what it was, but Hinata beat him to it.

"Gah!" exclaimed Hinata as she held her nose.

"Th-that smelled awful! W-what was that stuff?" asked Hinata as she kept her nose plugged.

"It was pure extract of mustard powder..." said Naruto.

Hinata then realized that he was holding her up.

"Eeep!" squeaked Hinata as she spun away from him.

"Th-thank y-you N-Naruto." said Hinata as she shook her head to rid herself of the smell.

"Is everyone rested?" asked Kakashi as he stood up and put on his pack.

"Yeah." said TenTen.

"Sure..." said Sasuke.

"Alright. If there are no complaints, we need to start heading out." said Kakashi as everyone grabbed their gear and began to head out. Gai walked over to Kakashi, looked at him for a second, then reached down and picked up Sasuke, and slung him over his shoulder.

"Alright Kakashi! Let's move em out!" said Gai.

"Yes! I feel rejuvenated and ready to go!" exclaimed Lee as he held up his fist.

"K." said Kakashi as he turned and jumped up into the bows of the trees.

--

They had been traveling for about an hour, and nobody had said anything to each other.

"Wait!" shouted Hinata as she stopped on a branch. Naruto stopped on the same branch, and everyone else stopped as well.

"What is it Hinata?" asked Kurenai.

"Yeah! We're almost there!" exclaimed Neji impatiently.

"I can even see the village gates!" said TenTen as she pointed towards the northern end of the trail.

"Where's Kiba!?" exclaimed Hinata.

They all stood still in shock, and they all realized at the same time.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed Kurenai.

"The last I saw of him, he had a large spider on his face, and he was running off into the brush..." said Gai as everyone suddenly felt bad.

"I guess we kinda forgot him..." said Kakashi as they all felt terrible for leaving him behind.

"We have to go and get him. It is a shinobi's duty to never leave a man behind." said Kakashi.

They all turned around to go back, but were blocked-off by an ANBU operative.

"The Hokage said that if I should find you and your team, that I should bring you all to her office immediately." said the ANBU.

"But we are missing a team-mate!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Immediately." said the ANBU.

"No, we have to get get..." started Naruto but was interrupted.

"Are you did-obeying a direct order from the Hokage herself? That's treason you know." said the ANBU.

"But..." started Hinata, but was cut off by Kakashi.

"No, he's right, it's village law, and also ANBU code." said Kakashi.

"But, how would you know ANBU code?" asked Neji suspiciously.

"You are dismissed." said Kakashi.

"Yes sir." said the ANBU as he dissapeared in a swift motion.

"Because Neji, I am head of ANBU Black Ops..." said Kakashi non-chalantly as he turned back towards the village.

This earned several gasps around the group from the younger ninja in the group who didn't know.

"YOU are the Head of ANBU?!" asked TenTen incredulously.

"Yes, now come on, we are wanted in the Hokage's room." said Kakashi impatiently.

_'I'd rather be wanted in Naruto's room'_thought Hinata as she blushed a bit.

"Sorry, it's just kind of hard to believe" said Lee.

"Yeah, Kakashi's been Head for a while, now come on, we have to check in at the gate." said Gai as he walked towards Konoha.

"We won't need to check in at the gate, we are expected." said Kakashi as he jumped towards town.

"It's best to just follow and not ask questions." said Kurenai as she jumped after him.

"Okay then... but I gotta do something first...before we go into town..." said Naruto as everyone stopped and turned to watch him. He reached into his bag and pulled out a baseball hat. It was mostly black with orange lining around the edges, the most noticeable feature was that it the front, it had a red spiral which accommodated most of Naruto's clothing. He reached up to his head and grabbed his ears. He pressed them flat against his head, then put the cap over it. With the hat on, you couldn't even tell that he had different ears.

"Oh, I see what you're getting at..." said Sakura as she walked over to him.

She took off her pack and rummaged around until she found what she was looking for.

"Aha! Here Naruto, use this." said Sakura as she pulled out a velvet belt and handed it to Naruto.

Naruto stared at the belt in his hand for a second and then looked back to Sakura.

Sakura then looked from Naruto face to his butt. Naruto blushed for a second, wondering what she was getting at, but then noticed that his tail blowing softly in the breeze.

"Oh Yeah..." said Naruto as he took off his pants.

Everyone stared at Nartuo as he took off his pants until Neji spoke up.

"Do you have ANY sense of pride at ALL!?" asked Neji incredulously as everyone stared at Naruto.

Kakashi tapped Neji shoulder, when he turned around to see what he wanted, Kakashi turned away from him, and away from Naruto and motioned for everyone to do the same. Everyone except Hinata nodded and turned away. Hinata was standing with her mouth agape and her eyes wide open. TenTen sighed and then turned back around and grabbed Hinata's shoulder and flipped her around.

"Hinata!" whispered TenTen to wake her up from her trance. Hinata's face was red and was slowly regaining it's normal color.

"S-sorry..." whispered Hinata back as TenTen rolled her eyes.

While this was happening, Naruto had switched his pants for a clean pair that didn't have a hole in it from his tail. Before he put those on, heused Sakura's belt to tie his tail to his left leg, then put the pants over it.

"Well, how do I look?" asked Naruto as he struck a sexy girly pose and swung his hips.

Hinata blushed and looked away while everyone else sighed.

"Well, human at least..." said Kakashi as he turned towards town.

"Alright then, we have an audience expected with the Hokage, we can't keep her waiting." said Naruto as everyone began to head towards town.

--

"It worked Itachi, we're in." said Kisame.

"I know. I'm here. I would know." said Itachi meanly.

"You don't have to be so mean Itachi..." said Kisame as he pouted.

"..."

A slience passed for a couple of minutes as they bounced around the leather interior, getting hit by random food stuffs, brushes, and make-up.

"..."

"Hey Itachi...Do I taste funny?" asked Kisame humorously.

Itachi used his transformation jutsu to turn into a weasel, and Kisame turned into a blue kunai with shark teeth decaled on one side with a mean looking eye. Itachi was holding Kisame in his mouth, and Kisame was smirking.

For a second, it looked as though Itachi was going to hurt him, but then he smirked as well.

"Kind of fishy." joked Itachi.

"Huh! Bout time you lightened up!" exclaimed Kisame with a smile.

"Ssshhhh! She'll hear you!" exclaimed Itachi.

"Hey TenTen, did you say something?" asked Hinata.

"No, I didn't say anything..." said TenTen as she gave her a confused look.

"Hmm...must have been the wind." said Hinata as they continued to head towards the other side of town.

"That was close. Sorry Itachi." said Kisame.

Itachi nodded and curled himself up next to a photo which was encased in a frame.

_'Hmm...My brother has trouble dealing with him?'_thought Kisame as he studied the boy in the portrait.

_'Understandable, but none the less, he must train harder, and he must know the truth.' _thought Itachi as they suddenly felt the bag stop.

_'She stopped...' _thought Kisame.

"We are expected." said a voice from outside of the bag.

"Sounded like Kakashi..." whispered Kisame.

"Of course..." said another voice as the bag moved slightly again, but then stopped shortly afterwards.

There was an awkward silence, and Kisame was begining to worry.

"What do you think is going..." started Kisame but was cut off by a loud and powerful voice.

"Kakashi! I give you permission as ANBU Head to supervise a mission led by one of our best, I give you a 10-ninja squad, and I give you the best equipment possible." said Tsunade from behind her desk.

"And you dare come back to me with only 9?!" shouted Tsunade as she stood up from her desk.

Everyone had already gathered in the room, and had just gotten situated, but Kakashi was already getting yelled at.

"I'm sorry." said Kakashi.

"You're sorry?!" shouted Tsunade.

"YOU'RE SORRY!?" screamed Tsunade incredulously as she moved around her desk and looked him straight in the face.

"I'm not sure if any of you knew this..." said Tsunade as she paced back and forth with her hand on her forehead in frustration.

"But Kiba just happens to be in line to be the leader of the Inuzuka clan." said Tsunade as she menacingly honed in on Kakashi.

"AND YOU LOST HIM?!" exclaimed Tsunade as she put her hand on her head.

"Are you TRYING to start a civil war?!" shouted Tsunade as she moved around her desk to pick up a bottle of Sak'e and took a huge swig.

"No Ma'am." said Kakashi as he bowed his head.

"The Inuzuka clan is one of Konaha's largest clans, if they decide that Kiba was lost because the village thought that the Inuzuka clan was getting too powerful, then what do you think will happen?" asked Tsunade menacingly.

"The Inuzuka clan will most likely retaliate, and try to gain control of the village." said Naruto as he put his hand on his head in frustration as well.

Everyone looked at him in suprise, but he continued.

"And this will cause the Hyuuga clan to retaliate in a fight for power as well..." continued Naruto as Neji and Hinata both looked at him with surprised faces.

"...Which will leave our village smack dab in the middle of a fight for power in between our village's strongest clans." said Naruto as he looked gravely at his fellow ninja.

They all looked back at him in surprise of his knowledge of the clans.

"We must send a retrieval squad to get him immediately, lest the Inuzuka's suspect that we don't care..." said Naruto as he looked at Tsunade.

Tsunade was surprised at first, but nodded in agreement.

"Right, we have to get a small search team together to find them as quickly as possible." said Tsunade.

"Right, it doesn't have to be big, just the best." agreed Naruto as Tsunade pulled out a folder from inside her desk while nodding to Naruto.

"This file contains all of our village's ninja along with their rankings, it also includes which ninja is best at what and why." said Tsunade as she opened the folder and laid it down on the desk.

"This file is updated every week, and is accurate to the dot." added Kakashi to the younger ninja in the room.

"It is the Hokage's job to keep constant tabs on this file, so that they know WHO to assign on WHAT missions." explained Gai as all of the young ninja gazed at the file with wonder.

"For example..." said Tsunade as she stopped on a page.

"This category is -best trackers-." said Tsunade as she smiled and looked up at everyone.

"And guess who is the best?!" shouted Tsunade as she pointed angrily at Kakashi.

"(sigh) Let me guess...Kiba Inuzuka..." said Kakashi as he put his hand on his head again.

"No...actually it says...Naruto Uzumaki..." said Tsunade with a surprised look on her face.

"Makes sense, Naruto has an enhanced sense of smell, sight, and hearing when he..." said Kakashi as he turned to see that Hinata was still on the room, and she didn't know about the Kyuubi no Yoko being in Naruto's body.

_'He probably wouldn't appreciate me telling her...' _thought Kakashi as he tried to come up with something else to say.

"Applies his chakra." said Tsunade as she gave him a bad look.

_'That was close'_thought Tsunade.

Everyone looked at Naruto incredulously as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Second best is Kiba, followed by Shino Aburame, then...Hinata Hyuuga." said Tsunade as she as she looked around the room to see that all of them were there...except for Kiba that is.

"Well, it looks as though we don't need to round up a squad, everyone is already here." said Tsunade as she smiled.

_'Less work for me...' _thought Tsunade lazily.

"So if that book shows, who the best of a category is, then it shows who is the strongest..." said Lee as he gazed at the book.

"Yes, who is labeled the strongest?" asked Neji as he crossed his arms.

Everyone waited anxiously as Tsunade flipped through the book.

"I'm pretty sure that I already know, but I wanna be sure if I tell anyone." said Tsunade as she stopped on a page.

"Aha! Here it is!" said Tsunade gleefully as she pointed her finger on the page.

"This category is all about brute strength." said Gai as he closed his eyes and smiled.

"Number 5 is Might Gai." said Tsunade as Gai held up his fist.

"Yes!" exclaimed Gai.

"Number 4 is Fuijin, and number 3 is Raijin." continued Tsunade.

"And number two is yours truly." said Tsunade with a smile.

"Wait, you're not number one?" asked Kurenai incredulously.

"Come on! There can't be anyone stronger than the Hokage!" said Lee confidently.

"Well then, who is it, if it is not you?" asked Kakashi curiously.

"I think that information is unimportant at this time..." said Tsunade as she closed her eyes defiantly.

"We have a right to know..." insisted Shino.

"(sigh) fine... The stongest in the village is... (mumble)...uto(mumble)aki..." mumbled Tsunade incoherently.

"I'm sorry, what?" asked Neji politely.

"(sigh) (mumble)...aruto...(mumble)...maki..." mumbled Tsunade again.

"I-I'm s-sorry, I...I d-didn't quite c-catch that." stuttered Hinata politely.

"IT'S NARUTO UZUMAKI, ALRIGHT!?" shouted Tsunade angrily as she sat down in her chair and pouted.

"N-Naruto?!" exclaimed Sasuke who gained everyone's attention, including Tsunade who finally just noticed him.

"Ah...Sasuke Uchiha, so the mission was a success?" asked Tsunade rhetorically as she stood up and walked over to Sasuke.

"So we finally caught the traitor." said Tsunade tauntingly as she gave him an -I'm better than you- smirk.

"T-traitor?!" exclaimed Sasuke with a blank look on his face.

"I'm not a..." said Sasuke as he was cut off.

"Sure you're not, you DIDN'T go off with Orochimaru, and you DIDN'T almost kill Naruto while he was trying to subdue you!" said Tsunade meanly as she continued to look him in the eye.

"Wha...What!?" said Sasuke with a confused face.

'I...tried to kill Naruto? I...went to Orochimaru!?' thought Sasuke incredulously as he watched Tsunade close in on him.

"NO! I...I would never..." started Sasuke as Tsunade suddenly got really close.

"Oh really? Then why have you been with the snake sage for such a long time?!" said Tsunade as she went in to hit him.

Her hand was stopped by an orange blur and Tsunade turned to see that Naruto hads stopped the punch.

"You know...Naruto would have easily beaten you if all had to do was kill you, but subduing someone takes alot more skill." said Tsunade as she smirked at Sasuke.

"Actually, due to some...uproars..." said Naruto hintingly to get her to catch his drift.

"I caused Me, Kakashi, Hinata, and Sasuke to have memory loss." said Naruto as Tsunade got a surprised look on her face.

"M-memory loss?! How bad?" asked Tsunade worriedly as she looked from him to Hinata to Kakashi.

"Around 24 hours for Me, Hinata, and Kakashi, but about 3 years for Sasuke." said Naruto gravely as he mentioned Sasuke's name.

Tsunade then turned to look at Sasuke to see that he was very surprised.

"Th...three years!?" exclaimed Sasuke as he stared open-eyed around the room.

"Yes...it has been about 3 years since you left for Orochimaru, so based on that, we know that you have lost more than 3 years of memory which puts you back to before you became a missing nin." said Kakashi with his arms crossed.

"A...missing nin?!" asked Sasuke as he looked around the room to find that nobody could look at him.

"What...what did I...what did I do?" asked Sasuke as Sakura suddenly ran from the Hokage's room with tears in her eyes.

"No...what have I done..." said Sasuke gravely as he hung his head in shame.

--

END CHAPTER

Sorry, that its too dramatic

Well, until next time!

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	20. Operation: Amnesia P3

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

"_**Disclaimer"**_

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparision?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 20**_

**_Operation: Amnesia P3_**

Sasuke sat on the floor, a bit tied up at the moment, but none the less he was quite distraught. Nobody could look at him without some kind of disgust on their face.

Sasuke sat on the floor and felt awful. He didn't know what he did, but it was bad enough that even Sakura must hate him.

"Hmm...we will have to further investigate this, but right now, we have a civil war to prevent." said Tsunade as she picked up a book from the floor.

"This folder I was talking about before is sometimes referred to as the SVB, which stands for single village binjo book." said Tsunade as she pulled out a red book from behind her desk and brought it around for everyone to see.

"Those that have too many high number rankings however, are put in here." said Tsunade as she held up a medium-sized book.

"This is the Bingo book." continued Tsunade as she held it up and smirked.

"This is what happens when ninja are too strong...they end up here." said Tsunade as she opened the book and thumbed through.

"For example...look at this one." said Tsunade with a smile as she turned the book for everyone to see.

It showed a picture of a silver haired ninja with a mask covering half his face, and a leaf ninja head band covering his left eye.

"Oh my god! Kakashi?!" exclaimed Sakura as she turned and stared at her sensei in amazement.

"Also known as the copy-cat ninja of the leaf..." said Naruto as he smiled.

"They are also given a number ranking for danger to the public, 10 being the strongest threat." said Tsunade as pointed at the bottom of the page.

"Kakashi has an 8 right now, meaning -do not mess with-" said Gai with a smile and a thumbs up.

"Hey cool, let me see!" said Naruto as he snatched the book from Tsunade.

"Hey!" said Tsunade as she tried to get it back.

"What? I just wanna see some strong ninja..." said Naruto as he pushed her away.

Suddenly as Naruto was flipping through the pages, he stopped at one and got a grave look on his face.

Tsunade noticed this, and let him have the book. Naruto walked slowly over to Sasuke and held the book in front of him.

"Itachi?" asked Sasuke as he looked at the picture. Sasuke hated his brother for killing his clan, but when Sasuke guessed his name, Naruto cringed and suddenly looked sad.

"Sasuke...this...is you..." said Naruto as Sasuke got a look of realization on his face.

"No...it can't...no..." whispered Sasuke as he looked at his photo. The picture showed Sasuke in blackened garbs, with a large collar to hide the bottom portion of his face.

"You have become what you most hated in order to destroy what you what you hated the most." said Naruto as he closed the book.

"But in reality, even if you did beat Itachi, you would only fill his shoes, so it would be like you never killed him in the first place." finished Naruto as he walked away from him to let him think about it.

_'If Sasuke DID lose his memory and this ISN'T just some elaborate scheme..then that means that this is the Sasuke from 3 years ago, and Sasuke should still be on track to becoming a missing nin and betraying us...'_ thought Naruto as he studied Sasuke's every move.

"I suggest giving him to Ibiki to make sure he isn't just elaborately faking." said Naruto as he continued to thumb through the pages.

Everyone was in a bad mood now that Naruto had said all of those things about Sasuke betraying them, but their moods quickly changed when Naruto stopped thumbing through the book and turned to face everyone.

"Hey!" said Naruto as he suddenly got a smile on his face.

He turned the book around for everyone to see, and showed them a ninja that had his name circled with a warning sign.

"Who's this handsome devil?" asked Naruto humorously as everyone realized that it was his picture.

"Hey! I'm the hidden Leaves Handsome Devil!" argued Lee, but seeing that everyone ignored his argument, he assumed that it must have been a saying or something.

"Danger level of...20?!" exclaimed Neji with disbelief as Naruto scatched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ha, yeah! One time, I kinda went berserk and took out a large section of a bluff..." said Naruto as he closed the book and gave it back to Tsunade.

"Anyway, this search party has to begin, and it has to begin now." said Tsunade as she pulled out some fresh blank forms.

"I'll do the paper work...But Naruto, Hinata, and Shino, you all have 10 minutes to report back to your respective parents and get back here with your supplies." said Tsunade as she walked up to Sasuke.

"The rest of you are dismissed until I call for your help once more..." said Tsunade as everyone stood there as if waiting for something.

"Oh yeah, nice job everyone...NOW GO...NOW!!" screamed Tsunade as she suddenly changed to impatiently angry.

"Jeez!" exclaimed Gai as he scurried out of the window along with Lee.

Everyone scrambled to get out of the room as fast as they could, she everyone so scared, that even Sasuke was trying to leave.

He was crawling like a catipillar across the floor towards the door because he was tied up.

"Not you!" exclaimed Naruto as Sasuke stopped.

"Oh...oh yeah...sorry..." said Sasuke as he propped himself against the nearest wall.

Now that the excitement was over, Sasuke got a grave look on his face again, then it was followed by sadness.

_'Hmmm...Maybe I can convince him this time around...maybe...just maybe...'_thought Naruto as his thoughts were interrupted by Tsunade's assistant, who came peeking around the door.

"Tsunade! Is everything alright?" asked Shizune worriedly as she cautiously stood behind the door.

"Yes, but while you're here, I need you to have Sasuke Uchiha brought into Ibiki's to be interrogated for anything he knows, but before you've done that, make sure that Sakura Haruno is alright." said Tsunade as Shizune looked surprised, nodded, then ducked back into the hall.

"He is in there, just as you thought." said Shizune voice from the hall.

"Okay. Thank you." said Ibiki as he walked into the room.

"Your coming with me." said Ibiki matter-of-factly as he grabbed Sasuke and slung him over his shoulder. He then turned around and left the room.

As they left Naruto could have sworn he heard Sasuke talking.

"You know...I can walk..." said Sasuke as his voice grew more and mroe distant.

"..."

"Okay then..." said Tsunade as she sat down at her desk. She reached forward and picked up her name tag. She flipped it over and pushed a button on the underside.

Suddenly all of the windows slammed shut, and bars flew across them along with curtains to block the view.

"Alright you." said Tsunade tiredly and threateningly.

Naruto was the only one left in the room aside from herself, and Naruto was looking kind of anxious.

"What?" asked Naruto casually.

"You know damn well what!" shouted Tsunade.

"What?!" asked Naruto with a slightly scared face.

"Why are you wearing that hat?!" asked Tsunade as she pointed to his head.

"Oh that? I just thought that I'd try a new style, you know?" said Naruto as he adjusted his hat.

"Naruto...you're a terrible liar..." said Tsunade as she got up from her desk and quickly banked around it to grab Naruto.

Naruto didn't know what to do, and his only reaction was to grab her hands. But Tsunade's hands were already on his hat.

"Naruto...let me see the hat." said Tsunade as she tried to pull it off.

"No!" shouted Naruto he held on tight.

"What are you hiding under here?!" shouted Tsunade as she tried to pry it from his hair.

"N-nothing!" shouted Naruto back as he held on for dear life.

"Naruto, you went on this mission without a hat on, and you came back wearing one, and you are obviously hiding something!" shouted Tsunade as she backed him into a corner.

"No I'm not!" shouted Naruto as he felt Tsunade step on his foot to keep him from moving.

"Naruto!" shouted Tsunade as she almost got her hand underneath the edge of the hat.

"NO!" screamed Naruto as he released a large wave of chakra.

Tsunade was flown back and slammed into the wall. She was fine, and looked a little taken aback, but she saw the scared look on his face and decided she needed to reason with him instead of force.

"(sigh) Naruto..." said Tsunade as she got out of the wall, and sat down in her desk.

"You were the team leader for this mission, YOU are the one who has to give me a full report, and I get one from each leader aside from you as well, so whatever you're hiding is going to be told to me anyways, so it might as well be you who tells me." said Tsunade as she put her elbows on the desk and rested her chin on her hands patiently.

Naruto looked surprised at first, but then had a sad look on his face. It was a sad, yet grave look, and it told Tsunade that this was not going to be good. Naruto slowly reached up to his head, and quickly pulled off the hat as though his hair were fire.

(Boing!)

When Naruto took off his hat, his two large fox ears stuck straight up through his hair.

At first Tsunade didn't say anything, but then she got a relieved look on her face.

"Ha! Is that all? Naruto, just because you are wearing fake fox ears doesn't mean that you are in trouble!" laughed Tsunade as she suddenly felt happier.

"Where did you get such a thing? A party store?" asked Tsunade as she smiled at him.

Naruto looked very taken aback, then very irritated.

"Grrrr...They aren't fake..." said Naruto with a sad face again.

Tsunade looked worried for a second but then chuckled a bit.

"Naruto! Enough joking around! Now, you have to start giving me that report you owe me." said Tsunade as she awaited him expectantly.

"(sigh)" sighed Naruto as he walked slowly over to her desk.

He then leaned his head forward and over the desk.

"Feel them." said Naruto as Tsunade gave him a confused look.

--

Hinata was walking with Shino to her house, and they were talking about what to bring.

"I always bring extra clothes, just in case." said Shino as they continued to walk.

"Me too, but I can never decide which kunai I want to bring because..." said Hinata who stopped talking as a shadow crossed over her own.

"F-father?!" asked Hinata incredulously as she bowed along with Shino.

"Good to see you Mr. Hyuuga." said Shino formally.

"As always..." said Hiashi.

"Hinata, how was your mission?" asked Hiashi.

"It w-was a complete s-success." said Hinata who awaited her father's approval.

"Very good, do you know your next mission?" asked Hiashi.

"In about 6 minutes." said Shino.

"Six minutes?" asked Hiashi incredulously.

"Very well, report to me once you complete it." said Hiashi as he turned to walk away.

"We can't skip your training Hinata, we don't want you to get worse then you already are..." said Hiashi as he walked into the Hyuuga compound, leaving Hinata's spirit crushed from his comment.

"Never mind what he says, he's just a big..." said Shino as he was cut off by a loud scream coming from the direction of the Hokage's office.

"OH MY FREAKING GOD!! NARUTO!! WHAT THE HELL!?" screamed Tsunade as her voice echoed against the Hokage Monument.

"We had better hurry, it sounds as though Naruto will need us to back him up, I am already ready to leave so please hurry up." said Shino.

Hinata nodded and rushed inside her home, the Hyuuga Mansion.

She ran through the main hallway and through the kitchen, but stopped when she heard a cold voice.

"Where are you going to in such a hurry? Running from another one of your mistakes?" said Hanabi meanly as she gave her older sister a sneering look.

Because Hinata is the eldest Hyuuga in the main branch family, she became the next in line to become head of the Hyuuga clan. And because Hanabi was born after her, she could never be Hyuuga Head like she always wanted. and because of this, she has always hated Hinata, and has been mean to her every chance she gets. She has been all high and mighty ever since Hinata lost a battle to her in front of the Hyuuga elders, and she considers herself superior.

"You know, father is considering putting me in your place as next to lead." said Hanabi with a mean smirk.

Hinata gasped then suddenly looked really distressed.

"H-he...he is?" asked Hinata worriedly. She had always wanted to be the Hyuuga head, so that she could change the ways of the Hyuuga. She wanted to get rid of the cursed caged bird seal that all of the Hyuuga branch members wore upon their forehead's. And now that she heard this, she suddenly felt worried.

"Yep! If you slip up one more time, that's it for you." said Hanabi with an evil smile.

Hinata could have sat there all day to wonder if her father would really do that, but she had a task to accomplish.

_'Naruto is in trouble, just forget everything she said, and ignore anything she says after...' _thought Hinata as she quickly affirmed herself.

"Oh really, that's nice..." mumbled Hinata quickly as she ran out of the room, and into her the hall.

"I'm s-sorry that I can't stay and chat, but I have a job to do." said Hinata quickly as she left a speechless Hanabi sitting in her chair with her mouth agape.

_'Did, did she just brush me off...like NOTHING?!' _thought Hanabi as she watched her older sister run into her bedroom, then quckly run out again with a bag in tow.

"See you later Hanabi." said Hinata nicely as she ran out.

She couldn't concentrate on anything but her task at hand, she had to help Naruto, and to her, this was of utmost importance.

"You ready?" asked Shino.

Hinata nodded and they started to make their way towards the Hokage's office.

--

"Naruto! What the hell did you do!?" asked Tsunade as she sat in her chair, staring at Naruto's ears.

"It's not me you should be asking...here, let me get him..." said Naruto as he closed his eyes.

_'Kyuubi, I'm going to give you control over my voice temporarily so that you can explain to Tsunade what happened.'_ said Naruto to Kyuubi who looked slighty amused.

_**"Fine. But afterwards, you listen to everything I have to tell you, and you will do it without saying that I'm trying to make a personal gain..."**_said Kyuubi as he restlessly roamed around his cage.

_'(sigh) fine, it's a deal.' _said Naruto as he gave Kyuubi control.

"Naruto? Get who?" asked Tsunade as Naruto just sat there with his eyes closed.

Suddenly Naruto opened his eyes, and they were an evil glowing red.

"Hello...Granddaughter of the Shodamine." said Kyuubi in his deep deceitful voice.

"K-Kyuubi!?" exclaimed Tsunade as she jumped up from behind her desk and landed right in front of him in a crane Taijutsu stance.

"Now now, lets be rational beings about this." said Kyuubi in a drawling sarcastic voice.

"Like hell!" shouted Tsunade as she jumped at him with a chakra infused punch.

Naruto caught her fist and stopped it with only one finger, then put his thumb underneath that finger and flicked her away.

She flew back and skidded across the floor until she slammed into her desk which stopped her.

"Naruto is only letting me do this so that I can tell you what happened, and how he got this way..." said Kyuubi with a smile.

Tsunade didn't know what to believe, but didn't have the time to think about it.

Suddenly Kyuubi closed the space between them in a movement so quick that even she couldn't follow it.

"I gave him, all of my power..." said Kyuubi dramatically.

"Wha...what?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"You heard me...ALL of it." continued the Kyuubi as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes to begin the tale.

"To put it as short as possible, we ran into Orochimaru, and had to face him head on, but Naruto got caught in one of Orochimaru's seals, and at that point I only had two choices, one, to do nothing and let Orochimaru take all of my powers, or two, to give Naruto all of my powers." said Kyuubi as he opened his eyes.

Tsunade just sat there with a blank expression on her face, she looked as though she had been shot, but didn't want to scream.

"Along with my chakra, Naruto can also call on my heightened sense or sight, hearing, smelling, and my tails...depending on how much chakra he brings forth." said Kyuubi.

"Wait, so you're saying that you GAVE Naruto all of your powers?..." asked Tsunade suspiciously.

"Yes, I had no choice, and besides, of all of the people in this world to give my powers to, I would choose Naruto every time." said Kyuubi with a smile.

Before Tsunade could say anything else, he cut her off.

"And by the way, before I return to the recesses of Naruto's mind, I would just like to warn you that an old friend of mine is in town, and with her here, that would make 4 jinkurichis in this village by the end of this month, guaranteed." said Kyuubi with a smile as Naruto's eyes turned back to blue, and Naruto shook his head to get back to normal.

"Wait Kyuubi! What do you mean an old friend, and how do you know that there will be 4?" asked Naruto, but got no response.

"Damn it." said Naruto as Tsunade stared at him with interest.

"..."

Tsunade continued to stare at him and the silence was becoming uncomfortable.

"..."

"No, you can't pet me..." said Naruto as he crossed his arms.

"Wha...No! I was just thinking, if you have ALL of the Kyuubi's powers...then that means that you could use them to fight for us...we would actually have the Kyuubi no Yoko's powers on our side..." said Tsunade as she sat, still staring at Naruto like he was some kind of trophy.

"HEY! I'm not just some kind of weapon you know...and besides, as far as I know, my body can only take up to 4/9ths of the Kyuubi's power without hurting itself." said Naruto.

"Oh...well still! This is a happy day! But...happy or not, we still have a missing nin on our hands..." said Tsunade as she suddenly got serious.

"Right, we have to find Kiba immediately..." said Naruto as he sat down to contemplate where he could have gone.

Just then, Hinata and Shino came bursting through the door rambling so many things that it was almost incoherent.

"Wait don't! It's not his fault! I'm sorry we're late!" rambled Shino quickly as Hinata did the same.

"Don't hit him! He's innocent! Orochimaru! Seal not his fault! Forgive him if you have accused!" rambled Hinata quickly at the same time Shino did.

Tsunade only caught about half of all that, be she understood what they were trying to do.

"It's alright! He's not in trouble, and he's explained everything. It's all water under the bridge..." said Tsunade as she took out a bottle of Sak'e.

"Yeah, until there's a tidal wave..." mumbled Naruto.

"Ignoring that, you still need to find Kiba, you are to first search where you last saw him, and then track from there." said Tsunade.

"You are dismissed." said Tsunade.

Naruto, Hinata, and Shino turned to leave but stopped when they heard her voice again.

"But Naruto..." started Tsunade.

"Yeah?..." asked Naruto as he turned to face her.

"Try to keep yourself concealed, the public isn't ready for what you really are..." said Tsunade sadly.

"I understand..." said Naruto as he turned back to his new teammates.

"Alright you guys, let's go." said Naruto as they ran out the door.

"Right." said Shino.

"O-okay..." said Hinata.

They rushed out of the Hokage's office, and back to the Village gate to check out.

'I hope they'll be alright...' thought Tsunade as she sat down at her desk to begin the paperwork.

"Hey Izumo! Hey Kotetsu!" said Naruto as he smiled and waved as they ran up to them.

"Hey Naruto!" said Izumo happily.

"Hey Naruto...nice hat." said Kotetsu, who noticed Naruto's new hear gear.

"Oh yeah, thanks! Just thought I'd try something new." said Naruto with a smile.

"So, you got business here?" asked Izumo.

"Yeah, cause...remember last time you were playin cards with us, and Tsunade caught us while we were supposed to be on duty?" asked Kotetsu.

"What, Tsunade? She just told me to leave you two alone, and let you guys get back to work..." said Naruto who looked confused.

"Yeah, that was before you left." said Izumo as he put his hand on his head.

"Yeah after you left, it all went downhill from there." said Kotetsu.

"And we're still trying to fix that wall..." said Izumo as he pointed behind him to a broken-in wall.

"Wow...sorry guys, I didn't know she would be so mad..." said Naruto apologetically.

"Ah, it's alright, you couldn't have known that she would be such a bitch about it..." said Kotetsu.

"Yeah, we like hangin with you and all, but when we do, it will have to be when we're off duty." said Izumo.

"Right, okay then, but we DO have a mission." said Naruto.

"Alright, just give me a sec..." said Kotetsu as he rummaged through a file cabinet.

"Hmmm...Yep! Here you are! Shino Aburame, Naruto Uzumaki, and Hinata Hyuuga, retrieval mission" said Kotetsu as he handed them their pass.

"Alright you three, see you when your mission is a success." said Izumo with a smile. He waved to the three ninja as they jumped out of sight into the nearest trees.

"..."

"What?" asked Izumo.

"Huh? Nu-nothin..." said Koketsu frantically as he pretended to be busy with some random paperwork on his desk.

"Oh! It's somethin! You always have feelings bout things, and they're always right!" exclaimed Izumo.

"Yeah..." mumbled Kotetsu.

"So? What did you feel was wrong?" asked Izumo nervously.

"I feel...as though Naruto's mission will be alot longer than he anticipates..." said Kotetsu dramatically as Izumo put his hand on his head in frustration.

"You know, one thing about your feelings aside from them always being right, is that they are always too late..." said Izumo as he stared off in the direction Naruto and his teammates took off in.

"Yeah...I hope Naruto will be all right..." said Kotetsu.

"Yeah...me too..." agreed Tsunade.

"Tsunade!? Wha...When did you get here?!" asked Izumo nervously.

"Oh...you know...just in time for the comment..." said Tsunade.

"What com..." started Koketsu.

"A BITCH AM I?!" screamed Tsunade angrily as she chased them to the back corner of their office.

--

"Hmmm...I wonder how it will take before we get back to the village to check back in..." said Naruto as they jumped from tree to tree.

"Hmm... I don't know." said Shino.

"Well, when we do, I'll have to remember to tell those guys I'm sorry again, Tsunade can be really mean." said Naruto as he suddenly heard a series of loud screams.

"Aaaahhhh!!"

"Oh my god!!"

"You ruptured my spleen!"

"My back!!"

They stopped and listened for more but heard nothing else.

"..."

"Do you think they're..."

"Ahh my spleen!"

"..."

"Do you think..."

"Spleen!!"

"..."

"Do you..."

"My back!!"

"..."

"Do."

"Spllleeeeeeeeeennnnnnnaaaaaaaa..."

"..."

"You know what, I stopped caring." said Naruto as he jumped to the next branch.

"B-but N-Naruto..." argued Hinata.

"Don't worry, they are IN our village, if they couldn't get medical treatment IN our village immediately...that would be pretty sad..." said Naruto.

"Naruto is right, we should continue." said Shino.

"Y-yeah...I g-guess your right..." said Hinata as they continued again.

They traveled for about an hour without any interruptions until they finally reached the spot where they last saw Kiba.

"(sigh)okay, we'll start by combing the area." said Naruto.

"That's right...Allow me." said Shino.

Shino then lifted up his arms, and millions upon millions of insects flew out of his sleeves and went in every direction.

"Hinata, double check." said Shino.

"R-Right." said Hinata as she focused her chakra to her eyes.

"Byakugan!" said Hinata as she activated her family's doujutsu.

Hinata used it to look everywhere in a 50 meter radius within 359 degrees.

_'Time to show Naruto what I can do!' _thought Hinata as she noticed Naruto staring at her.

_'That jutsu...it looks...good...it looks comfortable...it looks...'_ thought Naruto.

"So natural to me..." mumbled Naruto, but they didn't notice that he said anything.

"They went"

"I don't see anyone, and there are no tracks..." said Hinata.

"I haven't found anything either..." said Shino as they both made their way to the center of the clearing.

"(sigh) we need Kiba, with him, we can find anything, or anyone if we have an idea of where they were last seen." said Shino sadly.

"(sigh) yeah..." said Hinata sadly as well.

"We will never find out where he went without Kiba's skills..." said Shino as Hinata gasped and stared at the ground shamefully as though it was her fault.

"Hinata, you did your best, so don't blame yourself...and besides, he went north..." said Naruto as he pointed to his left.

"How...how do you know?" asked Shino curiously.

"Because, I can smell the scent of Akamaru, which is much stronger then Kiba's...but then again...not much different." said Naruto humorously.

"W-wow! Th-that's amazing N-Naruto!..." exclaimed Hinata with amazement.

"Where EXACTLY did they go Naruto?" asked Shino almost excitedly.

"Well, it looks as though Kiba walked around randomly, then he suddenly shot up into the air and was carried off into the trees facing north..." said Naruto as he jumped up into a tree Kiba went through.

"Come on, it looks as though he was carried quite a ways, I can't tell how far, but I can tell that it is at least more than a mile..." said Naruto as Hinata and Shino nodded and jumped into the tree after him.

"Let's get started, we have no ides how far he's gone, so its best that we get going as soon as possible."said Naruto as they began to travel north in Kiba 's direction.

--

It had been a couple of hours now, and Naruto was starting to get agitated, Hinata would remain quiet and confident in Naruto's decisions, but Shino would constantly ask him if he was sure that he went this way.

Shino had at least asked him 8 times now, and Naruto was close to snapping.

_'I've got Kiba's scent and trail, I know exactly where his trail is.'_ thought Naruto as he looked over at Hinata.

Hinata noticed that he was looking at her, so she blushed and gave him a reassuring smile.

_'(happy sigh) At least Hinata has confidence in me, her smile is reassuring...and...very cute...'_ thought Naruto as he shook his head to clear his thoughts.

_'But Mr. annoying bug-boy over here can't seem to shut up...'_ thought Naruto as he continued to jump along the branches.

"Naruto..." said Shino.

"Oh Jesus Christ..." mumbled Naruto as he put his hand on his head in frustration.

"Naruto I was wondering..." continued Shino.

"Oh my fucking lord kill me now..." mumbled Naruto as he dug his fingers into his forehead.

"Sh-Shino I-I th-think you should s-stop pestering N-Naruto, h-he is doing fine." insisted Hinata.

"..."

_'If he says one more thing...' _thought Naruto as he clenched his fists.

"..."

"I know...but..." started Shino.

"I swear to god Shino, I will freaking stab you!" shouted Naruto as he held tightly onto his head.

"Fine, I just wanted to know how Sakura was doing...you know it is kind of awkward not talking..." said Shino as he kept calm and faced forward as they continued to jump through the trees.

"Oh! I'm sorry Shino! It's just that you got on my nerves, because you kept questioning my abilities every few minutes..." said Naruto apologetically.

"It's alright, I understand..." said Shino which started another awkward silence.

"S-so N-Naruto...H-how is Sakura?" asked Hinata nervously as though she were scared she would say something that would agitate him.

"Oh...She is really confused right now, she doesn't know what, or more specifically, WHO she wants...with Sasuke being back and all..." said Naruto as Shino nodded in understanding.

"So Naruto...I know that this is kind of personal...but I was wondering where you stood on all of this..." said Shino as though what he was saying was embarrassing.

"Wha...what do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"I mean...do you have a significant other in mind?" asked Shino.

"Wait...what?" asked Naruto.

"I don't get what you mean..." said Naruto with a confused look on his face as he scratched his head.

Hinata's face turned completely red and she tried as hard as she could to try to talk.

"I-I-I th-th-think he m-means, do you know...d-do y-you know W-WHO you w-want in l-life." stuttered Hinata very nervously.

"Oh." said Naruto as he stopped to think.

_'Oh god...is he going to say Sakura? I would just die! But what if he says me?! Oh God! Naruto always says what is on his mind! What if he says me? What if he says me?!' _thought Hinata nervously as she twitched her finger back and forth extremely quick and studied Naruto like a hawk.

"I've never really put much thought into it, I haven't had time in between training, and...well...sleeping..." said Naruto as he racked his brain for someone he had in mind, but came up short.

"Well, why don't you just list off all of the characteristics of your perfect girl, that way you could just choose based on who it sounds like the most." said Shino.

"Good idea..." said Naruto as he put his thoughts together.

_'P-p-perfect g-girl?...I'm going to memorize every word he is about to say...' _thought Hinata as she clenched her fists in determination and anxiety.

"Well...She would be kind..." said Naruto.

_'I'm kind...' _thought Hinata excitedly.

"Nice, thoughtful, with a good heart..." continued Naruto.

_'I'm nice, thoughtful, and I have a good heart...' _thought Hinata even more excitedly as she felt her face flush.

"She would be cute, and pretty, and a ninja..." said Naruto as he continued to think.

_'I don't know about pretty, but everyone is always saying that I'm cute...and I'm a ninja!' _thought Hinata as she excitedly went over the requirements she would have to pass to become more to Naruto than just a friend.

"She would have to be smart to make up for my occasional idiocy..." said Naruto as he scratched his chin.

"I know that I'm smart..." thought Hinata as she twiddled her fingers.

"Aside from all that, all she would need to do is love me as much as I love her." said Naruto as he looked at Shino and he nodded in return.

"You know...you just perfectly described someone I know..." said Shino hintingly.

"What really?! Who? Are they a girl?" asked Naruto.

"Yes...and you described her perfectly...down to the very last dot...its actually kind of eery...how perfectly you did..." said Shino.

_'Who does he know that's all of that?...' _thought Hinata as she waited nervously for Shino to say who it was.

_'Wait, if Shino says anybody but me, than it would be leading Naruto away!'_ thought Hinata as she suddenly stressed out.

"Well?! Don't keep me waiting! Who is she?" asked Naruto anxiously.

"She is kind, nice, cute, thoughtful, smart, pretty, has a good heart, and is a ninja." said Shino as he smirked underneath his cloak's collar.

"For God's sake Shino, I'm dying here!" exclaimed Naruto as he stared at him in suspense.

"You know what...I think I'll tell you later..." said Shino with an even bigger smirk.

"Uh?! Shino! Not nice!!" exclaimed Naruto as he pouted.

"You've got the suspense all built up, I can't wait anymore!" begged Naruto.

"I have a reason to wait, trust me..." said Shino as Naruto continued to pout.

'Hehehe... he's so cute when he pouts...' thought Hinata as she blushed.

They still continued to jump through the trees, following Kiba's trail, and it had already been 9 hours all together. They were still going at the same pace, but Hinata and Shino were showing signs of exhaustion.

"(pant)(pant) Naruto...we...need to rest..." said Shino as he dropped down from the trees and landed in a small clearing, completely exhausted.

"(pant)(pant) Y-yeah N-Naruto...M-m-me too..." gasped Hinata as she followed him down to the ground.

As his teamates rested, Naruto decided to set up a small fire for them, but by the time he was done, he looked north and realized something.

"I don't think that we are in the land of fire anymore..." said Naruto as Shino and Hinata looked up at him in surprise.

--

END OF CHAPTER

Well, until next tim!

For god sake! REVIEW LIKE ITS ON FIRE!! :3


	21. Help Inuzuka

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

(WARNING:this chapter is kinda emotional, and a little soap operish again, but this time it couldn't be avoided, only postponed, and it has to happen here anyways... enjoy anyways! READ and REVIEW)

_**Chapter 21**_

**_Help Inuzuka_**

"N-not in th-the land of f-fire any m-m-more?!" stuttered Hinata worriedly.

"Are you sure?" asked Shino.

"Yes, right now, I believe we have just entered the land of lightning..." said Naruto as he looked around curiously.

"Um... N-Naruto, wou-wouldn't that mean th-that we just p-passed through the land of the S-Sound?" asked Hinata with a look of amazement and realization on her face.

"Yes, you're right Hinata, that would mean that we not only passed through Otokagure's territory unscathed, but we also did it without seeing a single Sound ninja..." said Shino as he adjusted his glasses.

"Yeah well, we DID do a number on his army, and his biggest Village was destroyed..." said Naruto, which reminded them of the mission to get back Sasuke.

"(sigh)" sighed Naruto and Hinata regrettably.

"I still don't remember a thing..." said Naruto with a sigh.

"M-me neither..." stuttered Hinata as she too sighed.

"I do, and every image I conceal in my mind from that tunnel will haunt my thoughts of innocence and destroy them, just like my confidence in Hinata's innocence that was destroyed as well..." mumbled Shino.

"What do you mean...her innocence?" asked Naruto.

"Yes Shino, w-what do you mean?" asked Hinata with a confused but worried look.

_'Oh god! What did I do on that day that ruined my innocence?...I could have...NO! I couldn't have...could I?' _thought Hinata as she was suddenly questioning her...self...

"I mean uh..." said Shino as he thought hard about what he should say.

_'Damn...I didn't mean for either of them to hear that...I just have to think of something else to tell them...' _thought Shino as he held up his hands defensively.

"No! It's nothing like that! It's just that Hinata pulled some...unexpected moves...and then the enemy was almost completely destroyed...I don't want to go into the details..." said Shino as Hinata and Naruto looked at him in amazement.

_'Ha! I didn't even have to lie...' _thought Shino happily.

"Wow, I m-must have r-really fought aggressively..." said Hinata.

"Aggressive...yeah, you could say that..." said Shino as he put his hand on his head.

_'Yeah, aggressively sexual...' _thought Shino as he shuddered from the images in his head.

"Shino...c-could you t-talk to me in private f-for a sec?" asked Hinata politely.

"Sure, no problem." said Naruto as he turned around and walked out of view behind some trees.

Hinata waited to make sure that he was out of hearing range then turned to Shino and gave him a threatening look.

"Shino! What happened during that mission, and don't lie, I KNOW that you know..." threatened Hinata as she held him by the front of his collar.

"H-Hinata?" exclaimed Shino in surprise.

Hinata was giving him a glare, and a determined face that he couldn't ignore.

"Shino...I know that I must have done something...inappropriate...otherwise you wouldn't have worded it like that..." said Hinata as she stared at him.

"(sigh) I have been ordered by Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai sensei, and Might Gai to not tell, you, Naruto, or Sasuke what happened during that time, but Kakashi has been told everything, aside from certain aspects that concern Kurenai." said Shino as Hinata let him go.

"If I told you, I would be going against direct orders." said Shino gravely.

"But if you knew what Naruto said, and what he did..." said Shino as he paused for a moment to think of the proper words.

"You would probably faint." said Shino as he walked away from Hinata to leave her to think.

_'Wha...w-what is that supposed t-to mean?'_thought Hinata nervously as she ran through the scenarios in her head.

"I will begin setting up a tent, I am exhausted, so please go tell Naruto that he can come back now." said Shino as he took out poles from his pack and began to set up a frame.

"Oh...okay..." said Hinata as she turned around and absent-mindedly walked off in the direction Naruto went.

_'What did Naruto do or say...that would make me faint?...And who was Shino talking about before?...' _thought Hinata as she continued her walk.

_'If Shino knows someone who is perfect for Naruto...and it isn't me...I would just die!'_ thought Hinata as she worriedly kept walking.

_'I love Naruto! He is goofy and funny, he can be smart and clever, but he is also naive and sometimes gullible, but most of all, he has a good heart...'_ thought Hinata as she sighed happily and stopped dead in her tracks.

There in front of her was Naruto, he had his shirt and jacket off and was washing his jacket's collar in a stream.

_'And a smoking hot body...' _thought Hinata as her face flushed.

"Oh! Hey Hinata, you guys done?" asked Naruto as he stood up and smiled at her.

Hinata felt her heart pounding as Naruto walked over to her.

"You know Hinata...you are one of my best friends, but I don't know much about you..." said Naruto as he took off his hat and scratched the back of his head sheepishly while his ears stuck up and out.

"I-I...y-yes...w-well..." stuttered Hinata as Naruto stood directly in front of her without a shirt on, causing her to stutter more than usual.

"I see you plenty of times, but I never really get to sit down and talk to you..." said Naruto as he quickly spun her around and put his arms around her neck and over her shoulder.

_'(gasp)What...what is he...'_thought Hinata as she got extremely nervous.

"So...lets talk!" said Naruto as he lead Hinata onto a trail towards camp.

Naruto and Hinata talked about many things, Naruto talked about his childhood, and how lonely it was, and Hinata talked about her family. They talked about favorite foods, colors, jutsus, and other things that they liked and disliked. Hinata was very happy, she had been talking to Naruto for at least an hour, because instead of walking into the camp, they circled it several times to keep up their conversation. Both of them noticed that they kept doing this, but each time they went by the camp entrance, they would just take another round.

Hinata was ecstatic, she was telling Naruto everything she wanted him to know about her, all of her qualities, and weaknesses, except for the reason she faints around him of course. She also got into a conversation about her situation with her father and Hanabi.

"Wow Hinata! I had no idea how rough you've had it with your father..." said Naruto as they kept up their walk.

"Y-yeah, he can be very harsh..." said Hinata as Naruto smiled at her.

"Well, don't worry about it, I'm sure that he won't take away your right as heir." said Naruto reassuringly.

"I hope not..." said Hinata worriedly.

"Don't worry about it! I'm sure your sister is just full of shit..." said Naruto with a smile.

"Hehehe...Naruto!...thank you..." giggled Hinata as Naruto continued to smile at her.

_'I've learned so much about Naruto-kun that I did not know before, I want to be with him even more now!'_ thought Hinata happily.

_'We both dislike our childhoods, we both have the same interests, and we both are...single...'_thought Hinata as she looked over at Naruto.

"We have so much in common..." said Hinata as she suddenly realized what she let slip out.

_'No! I didn't mean to say that! Why did I say that?' _thought Hinata crazily as she mentally hit herself.

_'That is definitely not something a friend should say to another! What will he say!?' _thought Hinata nervously as she stared from the ground to Naruto while twiddling her fingers.

"Yeah...we do have alot in common, we both had troubled childhoods, and many worries involving our ninja careers, plus, we both have..." said Naruto as he blushed a bit and looked at his feet.

"A good heart." finished Naruto as he smiled at Hinata.

"Th-thank you N-Naruto-kun..." whispered Hinata as she blushed and smiled back at him.

"..."

An awkward silence passed between them because neither knew what to say.

"You have a really nice smile..." said Naruto with a blush as Hinata just about jumped out of her skin in surprise of the first physical compliment she had ever received from Naruto.

"Th-thank you!" exclaimed Hinata as she felt her heart speed up a bit.

"..."

Another awkward silence passed, Hinata didn't have the courage to say what she wanted, and Naruto just didn't know where this conversation was going. But, they still kept up their walk.

"S-so...Naruto...I've...I've been meaning to-to ask you...W-why did you turn into a f-fox?" asked Hinata curiously.

Naruto flinched and slightly turned away, but to Naruto's misfortune, Hinata saw him do it.

"I-It's...It's okay if...if you don't want to tell me..." said Hinata as Naruto put his hand up to her face to stop her from talking.

"It's okay, I've wanted...It's about time... that I tell you." said Naruto as he grabbed her shoulders gently and turned her so that she was facing him.

"N-Naruto?" asked Hinata nervously as they stood there facing each other.

"Hinata, I'm about to tell you a secret...a secret so big, that there is actually a law preventing anyone from telling it..." said Naruto as Hinata gasped and tried to protest.

"...It's okay, I'm allowed to tell. But please, understand, everyone who knows this secret, only knows because they were there to witness it, or because I let it slip by accident..." said Naruto as Hinata watched him worriedly and carefully.

"Your father for instance, was one of the many who witnessed it..." said Naruto as he clenched his fists.

"(gasp)"

Hinata gasped again and looked really worried now.

"N-Naruto I..." started Hinata but Naruto cut her off.

"This is the reason why he hates me so much..." said Naruto as he stared down at the ground.

"Why everyone hates me...why all of the villagers despise me, and excluded me, even when I was just a mere child who didn't even know the reason why..." said Naruto as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Naruto...wha...what secret c-could be so b-bad to make everyone h-hate you?" asked Hinata worriedly as Naruto let one of his tears drop to the ground.

"Please, you have to understand Hinata...The only reason I kept this secret from you...is because I was afraid that you would hate me...if you knew the truth." said Naruto as he desperately tried not to let his eyes meet with hers.

"Naruto...I...I-I would n-never hate you!" exclaimed Hinata as she stepped closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"I understand if you will never want to speak to me ever again after this regardless..." said Naruto as he grabbed her hand and gently put it back to her side.

"...But thank you for saying something like that..." said Naruto as he wiped his eyes clean of tears.

Hinata was now a nervous wreck, Naruto was completely worried about telling her such a terrible secret, and he was even crying a bit. The once confident and boisterous man she knew, was now a nervous saddened shadow of his usual self.

"Naruto..." whispered Hinata as she felt the suspense weigh on her like a collapsed roof.

"(sigh) Hinata...do you know the story that the elders tell of the Kyuubi no Yoko, and how he was defeated by the 4th Hokage?..." asked Naruto as he took a deep breath.

"Y-yes..." said Hinata quietly, wondering where he was going with this.

"It is all a cover-up, the Kyuubi was never defeated, but instead, he was sealed inside of a newborn child..." said Naruto, hoping she would get the hint.

"Y-yes, I have h-heard th-that from Kurenai sensei...but I don't know w-what th-that has to d-do with you..." stuttered Hinata nervously.

"(sigh) Hinata, think about it, when is my birthday?" asked Naruto as he wiped his tears from his eyes again.

"October te..." said Hinata as she stopped talkign suddenly.

Hinata had thought for a moment, and finally got a look of realization on her face.

Naruto saw her shocked face, and looked down to the ground as though he were ashamed.

"Here." said Naruto as he lifted up his shirt.

"Look..." said Naruto as he applied chakra to his hand and touched his belly. A complex array of seals upon seals showed up on Naruto's stomach, which was covered by a five-prong seal to finish it.

"(gasp)"

Hinata gasped and put her hands up to her mouth, while Naruto quickly turned away from her and let his shirt drop.

"Now you must realize...what it is like for me... what I am..." said Naruto while he took a step away from Hinata.

Naruto was looking very saddened, and very emotional. He was scared that he was going to lose a best friend, and was scared that she would never talk to him again.

"You must hate me now...because I'm a monster..." whispered Naruto as he took another step to run away.

"NO!!" screamed Hinata.

Hinata jumped at Naruto from across the path, and grasped him in a bear hug so that he couldn't move. Naruto stood completely still, and didn't know what to think as Hinata pushed herself up against him, and cried down his back.

"Naruto! I don't care what you may have inside you...you...you are still Naruto...and I would never...ever...hate you." cried Hinata as she hugged him even tighter and pressed her face up against his back.

"Hin...Hinata..." whispered Naruto as he nearly burst into tears.

Naruto quickly flipped around and hugged her back.

"Eeep!" squeaked Hinata as she stood ridged in his arms.

Naruto moved his head in close to her ears, and whispered to her.

"Th-thank you...so much...Hinata, You...have no idea how m-much that means to me." whispered Naruto as Hinata hugged herself back into him in joy of his acceptance.

"And I...I could never hate y-you either." said Naruto as he let her go to look at her face while wiping tears from his eyes.

They were both crying now, and were smiling happily at each other.

_'She doesn't hate me! Yes! She...is so nice...'_thought Naruto as he looked into her gleaming lavender eyes.

_'She has tears too...'_thought Naruto.

Naruto then leaned in and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

Suddenly Naruto was completely mesmerised by her face, and just couldn't bring himself to look away.

_'She...she is so...beautiful...'_thought Naruto as he moved his head in closer again, but this time instead of to the side of her head, he went slowly to her face.

_'I think...I think I want to...'_thought Naruto as he moved far into Hinata's personal space.

_'Wha...w-what i-is he...'_thought Hinata as she stood ridged in surprise while he moved in closer.

(snap!)

They both quickly broke apart at the noise, and turned to the left to see that Shino had a camera in his hands.

"Sh-Shino!" exclaimed Hinata angrily as Shino just stood there happily.

"Hm...couldn't resist." said Shino.

"God damn it Shino..." said Naruto as he put his hand on his head in aggravation.

"Yeah yeah, I heard the whole conversation, I'm glad you finally told her." said Shino as he put his camera away.

"Sh-Shino! You...knew?" asked Hinata as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Yeah, 6 of the Konoha 9 ninja know, and all of the jounin for sure..." said Naruto as he too wiped his eyes.

_'What happened back there? Why did I feel that way? I...I almost...'_thought Naruto as he looked over to Hinata who was talking to Shino about something.

_'She...is so nice...and pretty, but...but she is my friend! I can't just ruin our friendship like that!'_thought Naruto as he held onto his head painfully.

_'These emotions are confusing! I don't know what they mean...'_thought Naruto as he lowered his arms and tried to listen to what they were saying.

"Yeah, we should head back to camp." said Shino as he turned and headed back towards camp.

"Yeah...a-are y-you okay Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata after seeing him hold onto his head.

"Huh? Oh, y-yeah, I'll be fine..." said Naruto as he felt his heart race when Hinata even looked at him.

_'What did I just feel there...why did I try to...Hinata is like...my best friend!' _thought Naruto as he looked over at Hinata who blushed and smiled in return.

_**"Yeah, so is a hooker until you pay her the money..."**_said Kyuubi pervertedly.

_'Shut up!...'_said Naruto to Kyuubi as he walked over to Shino and Hinata.

"..."

"Hey wait a minute! You stole that from Tsunade!" exclaimed Naruto to Kyuubi.

_**"Yeah, it's a good one liner..."**_said Kyuubi happily.

"No, she lent it to me, don't jump to conclusions..." said Shino defensively.

_'Damn, I gotta stop thinking aloud with the Kyuubi, it's getting old...'_thought Naruto tiredly.

"Sorry...I didn't mean to be rude." said Naruto.

"It's alright, and anyways, we should head back to camp." said Shino as he turned and headed back in the direction he came from.

"Yeah, we probably should..." said Naruto as he walked back towards camp with Hinata close by his side.

_'I've got some serious mental issues...Kyuubi, or no Kyuubi...'_thought Naruto as he thought these confusing emotions about his supposed best friend.

--

More people than Naruto had problems of their own, because back in Konoha Village, two ninja were beginning to have troubles.

"Itachi." said Kisame as he sat in Itachi's mouth, both of them still in their transformed states.

"..."

"Itachiiiii..." said Kisame again.

"..."

"Itachi!!" shouted Kisame.

"Hm? Did you say something?" asked Itachi non-chalantly as he stretched out inside the bag.

"(sigh) Itachi, we need to get out of here! it's almost 4:00!" said Kisame worriedly

"So?"

"So!? We will miss tea time!" exclaimed Kisame worriedly.

"Oh right...lets go then..." said Itachi as he crawled to the top of the bag to peer out and see where they were.

"Well, what do you see?" asked Kisame as he lay on the bottom, unable to move because of his transformation.

"Hm...Okay, I see another picture of Naruto, lavender wallpaper and carpet, and Hyuuga kimonos..." said Itachi observantly.

"...Okay, so we are either in Naruto's house and he is an ego-maniacal, cross-dressing, lavender-loving, Hyuuga fan..." said Kisame humorously.

"Or we are in the living quarters of Hinata Hyuuga..." finished Itachi as he snatched Kisame in his mouth and slowly slunk out of the bag and onto the floor.

Itachi then jumped from the floor up onto her dresser to the left of her bed so that he could look out of the window.

"Hm. There are guards posted this way, so it looks as though the only way out, would be in the other direction." said Itachi as he turned around, then stopped dead in his tracks. When he turned around, he was suddenly face-to-face with a picture of Naruto.

"..."

"Why does she have a picture of him anyway?" asked Kisame curiously as Itachi shrugged.

"I would guess that she is smitten with him..." said Itachi as he jumped down to the floor and headed for the door.

"What? Like...in love with him?" asked Kisame.

"That's my guess." said Itachi as he peeked his head out through the doorway and looked both ways.

"Coast is clear." said Kisame quietly as Itachi began to slink through the halls of the Hyuuga Mansion.

They walked for what seemed like hours before they finally ended up back where they started.

"You've got to be kidding me..." said Kisame as he noticed the engraving on the door in front of them which said "Hinata Hyuuga"

"..."

"God damn it...what do we do now?" asked Kisame.

Itachi turned around and went back towards the way they came.

"Well...we are in the kitchen..." said Itachi as he stopped on the linoleum to think.

"Oh my god...did you just talk?" asked an incredulous voice from behind them.

Itachi slowly turned around to see a smaller version of Hinata, but with a mean looking face, sitting at a dining table.

"Ummm..." said Itachi.

"No."

_'Damn it! why didn't I just say nothing at all?'_thought Itachi as he mentally hit himself.

_'Oh my god! It's a friggin talking weasel...'_ thought Hanabi as she stared wonderingly at the tan furry little fluff creature on the kitchen floor.

"..."

"But, you just talked again..." said Hanabi as she got up from her chair.

"No I didn't...Uhhh...I mean..." said Itachi as he stopped to think.

_'Damn it! What the hell kind of sound does a weasel make?'_thought Itachi as he tried to come up with a sound to make.

"Moo." said Itachi as he quickly scurried past her and down the hall until they burst out through the front door.

"..."

"FREEDOM!" shouted Kisame as Itachi ducked under the Hyuuga gates, and disappeared around the corner.

"..."

Hanabi just sat there for about half a minute until she finally shook herself out of it.

"Wow...I have to stop drinking so much Sak'e..." said Hanabi as she plopped back down into her chair exhaustively.

"Wha? What!?" exclaimed Hiashi as he stopped in mid-step just as he entered the room.

"F-father! I! Wait! I-I can explain!" pleaded Hanabi worriedly.

"(sigh) Every time I let one of my children explain, it ends up a near-heart attack for me..." said Hiashi as he angrily picked up Hanabi by her hair.

"Ow! OW! Father! that hurts!" shouted Hanabi as she struggled to get free. Hiashi dragged her through the halls and finally threw her into her room.

"You will stay in your room until you finish a list of 100 reasons why a girl your age shouldn't drink, and I expect it to be done by tomorrow, if it isn't done, then I will gladly give you a few that you aren't upposed to hear until you are much older..." said Hiashi angrily as he slammed her door.

"I will be back tomorrow morning to discuss with you the privalages that will be stripped as punishment." said Hiashi as he went back into the kitchen and plopped down on a chair exhaustedly.

_'(sigh) Great! Two of my children are perverts, and now the other is an__ alcoholic...'_thought Hiashi as he rubbed his forehead in pain.

Outside of the Hyuuga compound, Itachi was scurrying down the street, heading towards their destination.

"Whoo! That was close, we almost didn't get away!" said Itachi as they continued down the street.

"..."

"What?..." asked Itachi.

"..."

"What?!" asked Itachi incredulously.

"Moo? WHAT THE HELL IS MOO!?" asked Kisame incredulously.

"Hee hee..." said Itachi while smiling.

"..."

"(sigh) Lets just get to Ichiraku's already." said Kisame as Itachi ran towards the other side of town.

_'Hm... strange we haven't been noticed yet...'_thought Itachi as he looked across town at the Hokage tower.

_'Especially with Tsunade as the Hokage...I wonder where she is...'_ thought Itachi as they continued through town.

--

Coincidentally at Ichiraku's, Tsunade and Shizune were sitting at the bar, just to take a break from work.

"Tsunade! I told you, you have to get back to work! You have _way_to much to do!" complained Shizune.

Tsunade sat lazily against the counter, enjoying her bottle of Sak'e, and sweet rolls on a stick.

"(sigh) Relax Shizune, have some fun for once!" said Tsunade as she took another swig of Sak'e.

"But! But...(sigh) fine, but we wont enjoy it, will we Ton ton?" asked Shizune to her pet pig, Ton ton.

"Oink..." sighed Ton ton who sat in her arms.

"Hey! hey! hey! No animals at my restaurant!" exclaimed Ichiraku as he pointed at the pig.

Suddenly, Tsunade snapped, and tightly held her bottle of Sak'e.

"What did you say?..." asked Tsunade menacingly.

"Uh...wha?" asked Ichiraku as he took a step back.

"Say it again..." said Tsunade just as menacingly as before.

"But...I...wha..."

"Pigs are people too!" shouted Tsunade as her bottle of Sak'e shattered.

"AMEN!" shouted a random ninja police officer across the street behind them.

"..."

Tsunade then got up and reached across the counter and lifted Ichiraku off of the ground.

"Animals have rights and feelings as well...remember that..." whispered Tsunade as she dropped him onto his butt and stormed off.

"Tsu...Tsunade! Wait up!" exclaimed Shizune as she ran after her.

"...Wha...wow...that wa...was close..." exclaimed Ichiraku as he braced himself against the counter to give himself something to recover on.

"Hey Ichiraku." said a voice from his right.

Ichiraku slowly and carefully looked up, to thankfully see a certain Hatake taking a seat at the far right.

"Oh! Kakashi! What'll you have?" asked Ichiraku as he gave him a smile.

"Nothing at the moment, I'm waiting for two friends before I ..." said Kakashi as he noticed a presence to his left.

"Oh! never mind! Here they are now." said Kakashi, who pointed to the ground.

Ichiraku leaned over the counter to get a better look, when suddenly, a weasel with a blue kunai jumped up onto the stool nearest Kakashi.

"Hey Kakashi." said Itachi after he put Kisame down on the counter.

"Hey Kakashi..." said Kisame.

"..."

Ichiraku just stared at the two new customers and quickly remembered Tsunade's rage.

"I. see. nothing." said Ichiraku robotically as he ridgedly turned away from them and started cooking noodles nervously.

"..."

"What's his problem?" asked Itachi curiously.

"I don't know...bad day?" guessed Kakashi.

"Weasel? What talking weasel? I'm just a chef, La de da de da..." said Ichiraku hysterically as he rapidly stirred the noodles in a large pot.

"..."

"Anyways, how is the shadow?" asked Kakashi.

"Fairing well, he has 3, and knows 2." said Itachi.

"How is the fox?" asked Itachi.

"For now, he is unstable, we need to find a ballast for him, possibly in the shape of another fox." said Kakashi.

"Hm...he he...I see." said Itachi with a smile.

"What of the snake?" asked Kakashi.

"As far as the blood clouds know, crushing a leaf is out of his reach until another serpent is found." said Itachi.

"Hmm...and what of the blood clouds?" asked Kakashi.

"The shark and weasel are incognito, and they are far from reaching their sunrise." said Itachi.

"Okay, now that business is cleared up... does the smaller raven know?" asked Kakashi.

"The raven is out of this raven's reach, even if I were to weasel..." said Itachi sadly as he stared at the floor.

"How is Mrs. weasel?" asked Kakashi.

Itachi gave him a surprised look, followed by a regretful one.

"I'm not sure yet, I still need more time to return to the weasel's den." said Itachi.

"..."

"Here is your food." said Ichiraku as he quickly disappeared into the storage room.

"..."

"Does, does the fox know?" asked Itachi.

"He knows not of the weasel's intentions, nor the ones of the Slug." said Kakashi.

"(sigh)The fox is clever, he will find out eventually..." hinted Itachi.

"There is only one way to find out." said Kakashi as he got up from his chair and paid for the meal.

"Where is the wolf going?" asked Kisame.

"To the slug, for...more leaves." said Kakashi as he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"...Well...that was short lived, but I suppose that it was all that we needed." said Kisame.

"Indeed." said Itachi as he jumped down from his stool.

"Well...what now?" asked Kisame.

"To the slug, I suppose..." said Itachi as he turned and calmly walked towards the Hokage tower.

--

Back in the land of lightning, Naruto, Hinata, and Shino were still making progress towards Kiba's location.

"I sense that we are near alot of people... but I don't see anyone..." said Naruto as he walked up to a large cliff face.

"M-me too." said Hinata as she walked up nervously to Naruto to stand by him.

_'Jeez, ever since that talk they had, the tension between these two is so thick that it's almost visible.'_ thought Shino.

Shino looked on at the two, and noticed that as they were talking, they were slowly getting closer to each other.

"So...Hinata..." said Naruto as he took a step closer to Hinata.

"Yes Naruto?" asked Hinata as she took smaller, but still determined step towards Naruto.

"Do you think that these people that we are sensing actually live on top of this huge cliff?" asked Naruto as he took a step closer.

"Possibly, but a village existing all of the way up there, would be hard to maintain." said Hinata as she took a step closer while looking up.

"It's strange that you two can sense these people, but I cannot." said Shino as he walked up and stood between them.

Naruto and Hinata both sighed sadly and looked up towards the top of the mountain.

_'Well, we almost got somewhere...'_thought Hinata as she looked over at Naruto who was looking equally as depressed.

"If you say so Shino, but we still need to know if there are people up there..." said Naruto as he regained himself and looked towards the top of the cliff. They couldn't see the top of the cliff, it was so high, that it pierced through the clouds.

"Well, there is only one way to find out." said Shino as he turned and looked back and forth between the two.

Naruto and Hinata nodded and got ready to jump as high as they could onto the cliff face, so that they could scale it, but before they could, at least a dozen kunai landed at their feet with burning tags attached to them.

"(gasp)"

"JUMP!" shouted Naruto they all jumped towards the cliff face as originally planned but were met with more explosive tagged kunais.

"Jump higher!" screamed Naruto.

They all jumped up and away from the tags, but were cut off by an impossible amount of explosive kunais that landed directly in front of them.

"Gah!" shouted Naruto as he went to jump again.

"Wait Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

Naruto stopped and looked at her.

"Look." said Hinata as she pointed towards the kunai in front of her.

The tags on all of the kunais burned down and nothing happened, but then suddenly, all of them disappeared.

"Just as I suspected, illusions." said Shino.

"Right, whoever is here doesn't want us to be there." said Naruto while pointing up to the top of the cliff.

"You are absolutely correct." said a voice from far above them.

"Show yourself coward!" shouted Naruto.

"Why should I? I have the advantage." said the voice tauntingly.

Naruto was about to use a comeback, but the voice cut him off.

"Leave this place, you have no business, nor any right to be here." said the voice.

"Yes we do! One of our ninja has gone missing, and his trail leads us right to the top of this cliff!" shouted Naruto.

"Regardless, I have been ordered to keep out unexpected guests." said the voice.

"Fine then, if you want to be that way, then I'll have no choice but to come at you!" shouted Naruto.

--

END OF CHAPTER

Enjoy? I hope so, and by the way, again, I'm sorry for the huge sappy emotional part, but that is the way the kunai crumbles...

I have had the same amount of reviews for like, almost a month it seems like, and I am getting very uninspired and bored because of the lack of reviews and comments, so please READ and REVIEW!

Next chapter: The Kamizuru clan

Hinata is my homegirl!


	22. The Kamizuru clan: Awaken Bijuu!

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. I understand that some people would rather skip it because inappropriacy, but not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Enjoy the chapter!

Warning: This chapter contains alot of information, don't skip any parts!

P.S. Re-read chapter:"Emotional Anger" if you don't get this part!

Q+A:

Q:**Dragon man 180:**How the heck can Kisame talk as a kunai when the weapon doesn't have a mouth?

A:**Naruto's Overseer:**Kisame uses Genjutsu to talk to people using illusion, and when he talks, it also appears as though the mouth on the kunai is moving.

Q:**Dragon man 180:**I didn't fully get Itachi's discussion with Kakashi...

A:**Naruto's Overseer:**All will be revealed in chapter 24, A Jinkurichi's fate)

Q:**Hakutoshi:** I may be wrong so forgive me if I am but did you get this story name from "The Person I Admire"?

A:**Naruto's Overseer:**I have never personally read that fic until I read your review Hakutoshi, so I did... And holy crap, I swear to god, that is the biggest coincidence I have ever seen!... Aside from that time with the bagpipes at my uncle's wedding...

Q:**Chewie Cookies:**How does that spider ALWAYS find Kiba? I mean, it's funny and all, but how does it FIND him?!

A:**Naruto's Overseer:** All will be revealed in chapter 23, Kamizuru clan: Vengence.

Q:**THE HEE-HO KING:**Cake is better but cheesecake pwns.

A:**Naruto's Overseer:** Yes...yes it does.

Q:**PissOnMeAndCry:**Did you redo chapter 3, because it seems very different.

A:**Naruto's Overseer:**Yes, I redid that chapter, and a couple others, but I did not change any drastically aside from chapter 3, where I added a new character. Meet the shop owner, Bryant Seiler... And by the way...nice appropriate screen name...

END Q+A... ja!

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 22:**_

**_The Kamizuru clan: Awaken Bijuu!_**

"Well then, if you won't show yourself, then I'll just have to get busy!" shouted Naruto as he took out a kunai from his pouch.

"Heh, that's what she said." said Shino jokingly.

"..."

"...Hey Shino, have you been to a place in Konoha called Seiler's?" asked Naruto.

"No, why?" asked Shino.

"Just wondering..." said Naruto as he formed a few hand signs.

"You guys ready?" asked Naruto.

"Y-yes." stuttered Hinata while Shino nodded his head.

"Okay, Hinata-Locate, Shino-Plant, and I'll draw, got it?" asked Naruto.

Hinata and Shino nodded their heads and took off in separate directions.

"Heh, did your little friends decide to give up?" asked the voice tauntingly from above.

"Whatever response makes you happier..." said Naruto.

Naruto took a step up the cliff.

_'One...'_thought Naruto.

_'Two...'_thought Shino as he hid in a covert on the cliff.

_'Three...'_thought Hinata from a tree branch on the ground.

"NOW!" shouted Naruto.

"Shino! 250 meters up, 6 meters left!" shouted Hinata.

Suddenly, Naruto saw a swarm of bees fly from a cave, and go up in the direction of the voice.

"AAHHHH!! Bees!!" shouted the voice.

There was a series of flailing noises and random pieces of small rock fell from his direction.

"Ha! Found you!" shouted Naruto.

Naruto took a dead-on sprint up the wall in the direction of the noises.

"Almost..." said Naruto as he neared his target.

Suddenly a blur flew past him, followed by a swarm of bees.

"What the?" exclaimed Naruto.

He turned around to look down, and saw a man laying unconscious on the ground.

"..."

Naruto fell quickly to the bottom, and was immediately met by Hinata and Shino at his left and right.

"Shino! I said Plant, not Sting To Death!" exclaimed Naruto to Shino.

"I didn't do anything." said Shino.

"What?" asked Naruto incredulously.

"You didn't do that Shino?" asked Hinata.

"No...I didn't..." said Shino.

They all looked down at the unconscious man who was covered in bee stings.

"..."

"Well...okay then..." said Naruto as he put his kunai away.

"Nature rocks..." said Hinata jokingly with a smile.

Naruto smiled back and blushed a bit as she blushed back.

Naruto wasn't exactly the best small-talker, and couldn't easily think of anything to say.

"Yeah, sure does..." said Naruto awkwardly.

An awkward silence passed as the two stood nervously next to each other, not knowing what to say.

"..."

"Ahem." said Shino.

Hinata and Naruto snapped out of it and looked at Shino. Shino then turned towards the cliff and pointed up.

"Oh yeah." said Hinata sheepishly.

"Lets get going." said Naruto.

They nodded and followed his lead up the cliff.

A few minutes passed, and Naruto was starting to get impatient with this tireless sprinting, but before he could say anything, the top of the cliff suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

"(gasp) Stop!" shouted Naruto.

They all stopped just before the cliff-face ended, but not in time to stop them from flying over it and into a barrage of tree branches.

"Oh jeez!" quickly muttered Naruto.

The tree branches came on quicker then he had anticipated and he slammed into the bottom of a very large branch, making a very deep dent which almost took the branch clean off. Naruto quickly recovered and caught Hinata with his right arm, and Shino with his left.

"Phew..." said Naruto in relief.

"..."

Although Naruto didn't realize it, he was hugging Hinata rather closely to keep her from falling, so the silence and closeness was becoming awkward while Hinata's face turned dark red.

_'He's... Naruto... hugging...'_thought Hinata as her mind flew through many things that this could lead to.

_'Maybe I should ask him out? Would this be a right time? He's hugging me after all...' _thought Hinata optimistically.

Hinata looked up to Naruto to gauge his thinking, but came up with nothing.

Naruto was scanning the surroundings visually, and didn't seem to be thinking about her.

_'Hm... If I took north, and Hinata and Shino look the south, then we could finish a full village scan in about 6 hours...'_thought Naruto.

"..."

An awkward silence still continued.

"..."

"Aww... I didn't know you cared." teased Shino as he kiddingly hugged Naruto back.

Naruto looked down at him scornfully and promptly dropped him to the edge of the cliff. Shino quickly grabbed the edge and ran back into the tree.

"I was just kidding you know..." said Shino.

Naruto then carefully picked up Hinata from underneath her arms, and placed her butt next to him on the branch.

Hinata blushed tremendously and twiddled her fingers together.

"Okay you guys, enough fooling around, it's time to get down to business." said Naruto.

Hinata quickly cleared her mind, and readied herself for action.

"We will do a quick sweep, I will take the north side of town, and you and Shino will take the south." said Naruto.

"Go." said Naruto with a wave of his hand.

Shino and Hinata both nodded and took off.

"While I..."

Suddenly ninja appeared from all around him and practically filled the tree with nin.

"Get captured?" asked Naruto skeptically.

He noticed that the nin who surrounded him were all Lightning nin, and they didn't appear friendly. They all wore black trench coats to cover up thier weapons and bodies, and each nin wore a mask to cover the lower portion of their face.

The only ninja who didn't have their face covered appeared to be captain, and he jumped down from a higher branch and landed where Hinata had recently been perched.

"Konoha nin, you have been charged with trespassing and murder, both of which may be considered as an act of war." said the Captain.

Naruto looked at him as though he were a nut job, but kept his cool. Naruto calmly stood up, regardless of the numerous blades pointed in his direction.

"Trespassing? Murder? Clearly, you have me mistaken for somebody else." said Naruto nicely with a smile.

The Captain looked taken aback, but quickly regained his composure.

"Clearly not, we just heard reports of an Orange ninja who killed a man, and left him for dead at the bottom of Raigakure's cliff." said the Captain.

"You are wrong, we were scaling the cliff innocently, when were attacked by this man, but before we could do anything at all, he was suddenly attacked by a swarm of bees." said Naruto.

There was a silence, and the Captain did not show Naruto any signs that he believed him.

"(sigh) If you don't believe me, go check the body yourself, when we left him, he was still quite alive..." said Naruto.

The Captain signaled three ninja, then nodded his head. In response, the ninja jumped from the tree, and dissapeared down the cliff's side.

"We will await to see what comes up with the murder, but until then, we still have to charge you with trespassing." said the Captain.

"Trespassing? I was not aware that I was trespassing in any way, shape, or form." said Naruto calmly.

Before the Captain could respond, Naruto continued.

"But, if you say that I have already commited the crime, than I have no choice to let you punish me for my transgressions." said Naruto.

Naruto then got down on one knee, bowed his head, and held out his arms to be hand-cuffed.

The captain was stunned to say the least, and didn't exactly expect anyone to ever come quietly.

"You... will come willingly?" asked the Captain incredulously.

Naruto kept his posture and kept his head bowed.

"If I need to be punished, then let it be so." said Naruto.

The Captain still looked quite bewildered, but he kept his composure.

"Okay then, take him to the holding cells." said the Captain.

The nin nodded and took Naruto away, leaving the Captain by himself in the tree.

"Hm...I must report this to the Raikage immediately." said the Captain.

He disappeared from the tree, and jumped into the direction of the Raikage's office.

--

In the Raigakure jail, Naruto was having a hard time believing that he had commited any crimes at all.

"This way." said the Guard.

The guard took Naruto through a series of hallways, and opened a jail cell, there was no light, so Naruto could not even tell if anyone was already in it.

"This is your cell, here, you will await your judgement." said the Guard.

The Guard led Naruto into the cell and locked it firmly behind him. The Guard left, which made Naruto fell quite lonely, all by himself in his prison cell, with absolutely no light to speak of.

He was only there for less than a minute, but it already seemed like an eternity.

"(sigh) I wish they had locked me in a cell with somebody already in it... Like Hinata... she's always nice to talk to." said Naruto aloud.

"What are we then, chopped liver?" asked Shino with a fake hurt tone.

"Shino?" asked Naruto to the dark.

"Yeah. We were arrested as soon as we landed on the street." said Shino.

"What about Hinata?" asked Naruto.

"R-right h-here..." stuttered Hinata bashfully.

Naruto immediately blushed and activated the Kyuubi's eyes.

Hinata had a red face and had locked her eye contact with the floor in embaressment.

"Heh, sorry, I didn't see you guys there." said Naruto.

"No big deal." said Shino.

_'She heard me... Oh well, at least she knows I like to talk to her.' _thought Naruto optimistically.

"So, I think we need to..."

(chank!)

Everyone paused to look at Naruto.

Naruto's handcuffs had been broken while he was stretching, and Naruto was staring at his hand in bewilderment.

"Um... Hey! Guard!" asked Naruto.

"Just a sec." said a voice from down the hall.

The guard appeared from around the corner, and came up to the bars.

"What is it?" asked the Guard.

"I'm sorry to bother you and all, but my handcuffs broke, so I was wondering if I could get a new pair." asked Naruto politely.

The guard looked down at his hands incredulously, to see that the cuffs had been broken clean off.

"Hm. Must have been some shoddy spot welding in the chain." said the Guard

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." said Naruto.

"Well, thank you for telling me this, but... you said before that you would cooperate, right?" asked the guard.

"Yeah, if I did something wrong, then I deserve to be punished." said Naruto.

"Okay then." said the Guard.

He took Naruto hands, and put a key into the handcuffs, taking them off.

"I see no reason to keep you handcuffed if you are going to cooperate anyways." said the Guard.

"Thank you." said Naruto.

The Guard smiled, and left back down the hall.

"Naruto." said Shino.

"Yeah?" asked Naruto.

"Something is amiss." said Shino.

"What about?" asked Naruto.

"I think that we have been falsely imprisoned for trespassing." said Shino.

"I know. And they seemed to dislike the fact that we are from Konoha."

"I-I know, b-but here, they make the r-rules, n-not us." said Hinata.

"Well, then I'll just have to do something about that, won't I?" asked Naruto rhetorically as he advanced on the jail's metal bars.

--

The Raikage's office.

Not much to look at, just a desk in the middle of a dark vacant room, a security TV in one corner, and one door at the opposite end.

That door opened.

"Mr. Raikage." said the Captain.

"Yes?" asked the Raikage from behind the turned chair.

The Raikage wore a traditional Kage robe and Hat, but covered his face and hid his voice through a vocal transmitter to make his voice sound like a deep-throated powerful man.

"We have three intruders...from Konoha..." said the Captain.

"Konoha eh?" asked the Raikage in an interested tone.

"Yes sir." said the Captain.

"..."

"You know Hakutoshi, ever since I elected you Captain, you have shown me nothing but good promise." said the Raikage.

"Sir?" asked Hakutoshi.

"..."

"...It's nothing, I'm just been thinking more than usual recently." said the Raikage.

"..."

"Anyway, what of the Kohoha nin?" asked Hakutoshi.

"Let me see." said the Raikage.

Hakutoshi then turned the security TV so that he could see. The screen was entirely covered in a green hue, meaning that they were using night-vision cameras.

"So Hakutoshi, of the two, did either show signs of an attack, resistance, or simple hatred?" asked the Raikage.

"No, all three of them cooperated to every last measure, and they were all very polite... Wait? Did you say two?" asked Hakutoshi.

"Yes, there are only two ninja on the screen, why?" asked the Raikage.

"There were three of them! The one that is missing has been charged with murder!" exclaimed Hakutoshi.

"Okay, I will send out a full-scale search for him, what does he look like?" asked the Raikage.

"He is wearing a mostly orange jump suit, with black shoulders, and yellow spikey hair." said Hakutoshi.

"That's what I thought." said the Raikage.

"Why would you say that?" asked Hakutoshi.

"He's right behind you." said the Raikage calmly.

Hakutoshi got a surprised look on his face, then quickly turned around and jumped back with his kunai out, ready to fight.

Naruto made no signs of movement, and just continued to calmly stand there.

"Mr. Raikage?" asked Naruto.

"...Yes?" asked the Raikage cautiously.

"I was curious of the charges placed against myself, and my friends." said Naruto.

"Friends?" asked the Raikage.

"Yes, my teammates." said Naruto.

"I see." said the Raikage.

"I was just wondering, how was I trespassing?" asked Naruto.

"Raikagure is our capital, any enemy that steps here is either killed, or imprisoned." said Hakutoshi.

"Enemy? Excuse me if I'm wrong, but The land of Fire and The Land of Lightning are at peace." said Naruto.

"...You are wrong, we have been on bad terms ever since our last war." said the Raikage.

The Raikage took out a flask from his pocket and took a drink, as though it would ease his mind.

"No, YOU are wrong, if you went to our capital, Konohagakure right this second, they would smile at you and greet you with open arms, even if you weren't the Raikage." said Naruto.

"..."

"Really?" asked the Raikage skeptically.

"And this, coming from common street trash, how did you think YOUR voice would make a difference?" asked the Raikage rudely.

Naruto crossed his arms and closed his eyes in clear agitation.

"Are you trying to start a war?" asked Naruto with a slightly agitated voice.

"No, of course not, why would you ask such a thing?" asked the Raikage as he took a drink from his flask.

"Well, I figured that if you DIDN'T want to start a war with the Fire country, that you WOULDN'T talk to the 6th Hokage in such a way..." said Naruto with a frown.

The Raikage spit out his drink and coughed up Sak'e all over his desk. After the coughing fit was over, the Raikage looked incredulously at Naruto.

"YOU, are the 6th Hokage?!" asked the Raikage in shock.

"Yes, I am Naruto Uzumaki the 6th Hokage, and I would appreciate it if you were a bit more kind to me than previously shown..." said Naruto.

"I... I am so sorry!" exclaimed the Raikage.

"It's alright, you have just been out of contact with Konoha for so long, that you simply assumed that we were still your enemy." said Naruto.

"Please, let me do whatever I can to show how sorry I am." said the Raikage apologetically.

"Well, for one, you can let my friends go." said Naruto.

"Who? Oh! Yes! Yes of course! Anything else?" asked the Raikage.

"Yes, we are looking for a Kiba Inuzuka whom we believe is in Raigakure this very moment." said Naruto.

"And based on how we were treated as Konoha nin, it would probably be safe to assume that he is in one of your holding cells." said Naruto.

The Raikage looked as though he were ready to start apologizing again, but Naruto cut him off.

"I am no enemy, it's alright, we just need to know." said Naruto.

The Raikage nodded but still had a sorry look on his face.

"I already know that there is no Kiba Inuzuka in the holding cells, because the three of you were the only ones to have ever been placed in there for over 20 years." said the Raikage.

"...I see." said Naruto.

"Then I will need your full cooperation in finding him, he is of upmost importance to me." said Naruto.

"I see, would you like me to escort your friends here so that we may all discuss your terms?"asked the Raikage.

Suddenly Hinata appeared at Naruto's right, and Shino appeared at his left.

"No thank you, I think they will be perfectly capable of getting here on their own." said Naruto with a smile.

The Raikage looked surprised, but at the same time happy.

"Ah, this must be your friend..." said the Hokage, waiting for the mysterious cloaked figure to introduce himself.

"I am Shino Aburame." said Shino with a bow.

"An Aburame? Interesting... Pleasant to meet you." said the Raikage.

Then the Raikage turned to Hinata and smiled.

"I am Hinata Hyuuga." said Hinata politely with a bow.

"Hinata... you... must be his wife then." said the Raikage happily.

Hinata and Naruto turned stark red, and Naruto almost choked.

"No? Your lover then?" asked the Raikage innocently.

Naruto felt as uncomfortable as ever, and he was sure that he was going to die of embarrassment in front of Hinata.

Hinata however, felt happy as ever. Although she was about to faint, she had actually been mistaken for Naruto's wife.

_'W-wife?'_thought Hinata in shock.

"No, we are friends, just friends." said Naruto.

Naruto's face was returning to it's normal color, and so was Hinata's, but she looked disappointed when the Raikage had said JUST friends.

"Hm... I see. Well, that's to bad, you two look as though you would make a great couple." said the Raikage.

Hinata's facial color returned to red, as did Naruto's, but Hinata looked slightly happier.

"Ahem, moving on..." hinted Shino, who was referring to the obvious discomfort of his companions.

"Ah. Yes, anyway, what else can I do to make amends?" asked the Raikage.

"Well... for one, we would like to know your name... and if possible, your real voice and face?" said Naruto.

"Oh, yes how rude of me... I am Houkou, the fourth Raikage of the land of Lightning." said Houkou.

Houkou took off the face mask to reveal that the Raikage was actually a young woman. She had long brown spiky hair, with a sort of mangy look about her. Her eyes looked sharp and focused, and she had two small sharp looking red stripes coming down from her eyes. Her figure was that of a teenager, and she had a confident look that radiated about her. She stood in front of them with her hands on her hips, and a smile on her face.

"Nice to meet you Houkou." said Shino politely as he and Hinata took a bow.

"Yes, quite, but we still have business to attend to." said Naruto.

"Right! Your friend, the Inuzuka...Inuzuka...Inuuuuzuuuukaaa..." said Houkou, as though in deep thought about the name.

"(gasp) Oh my goodness! I just realized! I have an Inuzuka held captive in my personal quarters!" exclaimed Houkou in shock.

"In your... PERSONAL quarters?" asked Naruto suspiciously.

"Yes...why?" asked Houkou.

"Kiba?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, that's what he said his name was." said Houkou.

"Hm... well, if the Kiba I know got himself alone in a room with a woman like you, he would probably would have immediately tried to seduce you..." said Naruto.

Houkou and Hinata, blushed while Shino put his hand over his face.

"Yeah...that sounds like Kiba..." said Shino.

"That doesn't seem like the Kiba I know, every time I got near him, he would thrash out at me, and curse incoherently." said Houkou with a still apparent blush.

"Hm... did you still have on the voice transmitter and face cover thingy?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, I did...why?" asked Houkou.

"Well Houkou, I think he's getting at that you appearance may have frightened him." said Hakutoshi.

"Ah...that's why he kept harassing my clone...He wouldn't even talk to it..." said Houkou.

"Clone?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, I sent a clone to Konoha to try and communicate with him, but every time I tried he would scream and fly all over the place." said Houkou.

"You came all of the way to Konoha?" asked Shino.

"Yes, he wouldn't talk to me though, the only person I talked to, was a strange cloaked person, who just ignored me and sent me on my way, so the only way I could talk to him, was by bringing him here, so that we could sit down and talk rationally." said Houkou.

"Why didn't you just ask Kiba, he knows English you know." said Naruto.

"Well, I couldn't, my clone doesn't have the proper vocal chords, and I couldn't get him to relax enough to use a mind communication jutsu on him. So I had no choice, I would have to bring him back here to talk with my real self. But, as I said before, that didn't work either." said Houkou.

"Not the proper vocal chords? Mind communication jutsu? What form did you take? And why do you need Kiba's help, of all people?" asked Naruto.

"(sigh) It's easier if I show you." said Houkou.

Houkou got up from her chair, and went to the wall behind her desk. She pressed her hand up against the wall and applied a small amount of chakra.

The wall split where her hand laid against the wall, and opened up like sliding doors.

"This way." said Houkou.

They went down a long hallway, until they met a large wooden door with a brace on it. But despite the brace, the door looked bent and dented in several places.

"As you can see, he has been most violent, so I left one of my clones with him to keep him under control." said Houkou as she removed the brace.

Houkou opened the door to reveal a luxurious bedroom, with a satin lining practically everything.

"Wow." said Naruto.

Naruto scanned the room until his eyes met Kibas.

Kiba was up against a corner of the room with his arms braced against both sides. "You again?! Whoever you are, let me go! I have done nothin wrong!" shouted Kiba loudly so that anything Houkou said would merely be drowned out.

"And get this THING, away from me!" shouted Kiba some more.

In front of Kiba on the floor, was a giant spider.

"Oh my god! Is that the same freaking spider that kept mauling Kiba?" asked Naruto incredulously.

"Naruto?! Hinata! Shino! What are you guys doing here?!" asked Kiba incredulously.

"Getting you back home." said Naruto.

"Kiba, are you alright?" asked Shino.

"Yes he's fine, we have offered Kiba food and water on a tray, but he never took any of it." said Houkou.

"What did you expect me to do? Accept food from a spider?" asked Kiba incredulously.

The spider then quickly scurried across the floor, and stood next to Houkou.

Then it dissolved in a poof of smoke, and when the smoke cleared, it revealed an exact copy of Houkou.

"What?! That THING was a person?!" exclaimed Kiba.

"YES! It was my clone, I have been trying to communicate with you for at least a day!" said Houkou.

"Hey! What happened to your creepy voice?" asked Kiba suspiciously.

"(sigh) as the Raikage, I have to keep my identity hidden from terrorists or spies." said Houkou.

"You're the Raikage?!" asked Kiba incredulously.

"Yes!" shouted Houkou in frustration as she took off her mask and robe.

"See?!" shouted Houkou.

"AND you're a hot chick?!" exclaimed Kiba.

Houkou blushed a furious red and suddenly found it hard to talk.

"(sigh) Kiba, This is Houkou, the fourth Raikage, she has been trying to talk to you so that she could ask for you help, but every time she did, she would only be put down by your fighting and shouting." explained Naruto.

"Well, then..." said Kiba with a flustered voice.

"Then why did she turn into a spider and maul me instead of asking for my help?" asked Kiba angrily.

"Because... because I can't make a clone of myself public, the Raikage can't just go where-ever, when-ever they want, so, I made the only other thing I knew how to make, a spider clone. And my spider clone can only communicate to people by latching onto their face and speaking to them with a mind communication jutsu." explained Houkou with a still furious blush.

"So...you were just trying to talk to me?" asked Kiba.

"Y-yes..." stuttered Houkou.

"Oh..." said Kiba.

"..."

"You must have had alot to say, cause that was alot of mauling..." said Kiba jokingly.

Houkou chuckled a bit, but then there was another silence.

"..."

"So, if that was you, then I was actually getting mauled by a hot chick!" exclaimed Kiba excitedly.

Houkou blushed immensely and turned away in embarrassment.

"Kiba! Quit!" exclaimed Hinata.

"Fine, but anyways, what did you need my help for... And why me of all people?" asked Kiba.

Houkou immediately regained her composure when she heard this from Kiba and turned to face him.

"I need you, because you are an Inuzuka, and you are the most fluent in Canine of all of the people of Konoha." said Houkou.

"Okay...But why do you need someone who speaks dog?" asked Naruto.

"Well, Raigakure's security is in danger, we keep getting threatened by... a Bijuu..." said Houkou dramatically.

She now had Naruto's full attention.

"There is a Bijuu just randomly running around?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"No of course not, it was contained 16 years ago, but the monster is becoming more and more desperate for some reason, it keeps acting up, and trying to communicate with somebody, but nobody speaks canine." said Houkou.

"Oh, so it's a dog Bijuu..." said Shino.

"No actually, it is a Wolf." said Houkou.

"Okay... so you want me to go up to this Bijuu...and talk to it?" asked Kiba.

"Yes, we need to know what is wrong with it." said Houkou.

"Can you... do this?" asked Houkou.

"Okay, (deep breath) I'm ready." said Kiba.

Kiba then turned to Houkou and pointed at her.

"But after this, you have to put out, and I don't care how drunk you are either." said Kiba seriously as he walked up to the door.

Houkou just stood there with a completely red shocked face.

Shino then walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"He was just kidding" said Shino reassuringly.

Houkou then took a moment to gather herself, but her face would not regain it's normal color.

"(deep breath) F-Follow me th-then." said Houkou.

She nervously walked past Kiba through the doorway, but kept to the other side as though Kiba were going to suddenly jump out and molest her.

"You know, I'm not a petifile or anything..." said Kiba as they awkwardly continued to the streets.

They walked for what seemed about an hour, when they finally arrived at a large temple, which must have been at least over 15 stories tall.

"Wow...that seems unnecessary." said Hinata.

"You'd need a building that big to control a Bijuu." said Naruto.

Suddenly Hinata felt bad because of Naruto's Bijuu, and decided to be quiet for a little bit.

"I will go in first to wake the Bijuu, no one is to come in for any reason, until they know for sure that the Bijuu is awake." said Houkou.

She walked up the large and wide stairs and opened a giant metal door that took up at least half of the front side of the building. Then she stepped in, and closed the door behind her.

A few minutes passed.

"..."

"So, do you think she woke it up?" asked Shino.

"GRAAAAAARRRRRRGGAAAAARRRRRR!!"

"..."

"That's a yes." said Hakutoshi.

"..."

There was another silence, and nobody moved.

"..."

"... Okay...Who's going into the giant-perplexing-temple-of-roaring-things-that-may-bite-your-freaking-head-off... first?" asked Naruto.

"...Um...where is Kiba?" asked Shino.

They all looked over to the temple, to see that the door was slightly open.

"..."

"Should we follow him, I mean, will he be able to handle himself?" asked Hakutoshi.

"Oh don't worry about Kiba, he'll be just..." began Naruto.

"GRRRRRRRRRRRAAGRGRGRHHRRRRRRRR..."

"..."

"Yeah we'd better go." said Naruto quickly as he led the way up the stairs and to the cracked door.

Naruto quickly ran up to the door, and slightly opened the door so the everyone could see in.

Naruto looked around the room, there was a large alter at the opposite end, with a small set of stairs leading up it from the front side. Laying on the stairs, was a body.

"Wait here." said Naruto.

Naruto walked up a bit closer to realize the body was...

"Houkou!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto ran up to the alter as fast as he could, but was stopped by a sudden arm in his face.

"Kiba! Get out of the way!" exclaimed Naruto.

"It's alright, I checked her, she's just unconscious, she will be alright." said Kiba

**_"Inuzuka."_** said a thunderous voice from above.

They looked up to find a giant floating wolf with five tails, hovering above them. It's fur was white like the snow, but its entire presense seemed to be made up of some kind of ice looking energy, this caused it's fur to have a jagged appearance, although, it had a questioning look on its face as it stared intently at Kiba.

**_"YOU. You can understand me, correct?"_**asked the Bijuu.

"Y-yes, I can." barked Kiba nervously.

Back at the entrance, Hinata, Shino, and Hakutoshi all stood, staring in awe at the powerful Bijuu.

But all they could hear was howls and growls.

"What is he saying?" asked Hinata.

_"I can understand english just fine thank you, but I do not have the vocal chords to speak it." _said the Bijuu.

"Okay, I understand." said Kiba.

"He understands?" asked Hinata.

"Understands what?" asked Hakutoshi.

_**"I need to talk to her, I NEED to be able to communicate with HER."**_said the Bijuu.

"Who?" asked Naruto suddenly.

The Bijuu's attention suddenly drifted towards Naruto. The Bijuu's eyes grew wide and it growled at Naruto.

"Naruto! Back off! Your angering him!" exclaimed Kiba.

**_"YOOOOOOUUUUUUU!!"_**screamed the Bijuu.

**_"You stay away from me! I don't want anything to do with YOU!"_**shouted the Bijuu angrily.

All Hinata and the others heard was alot of extremely loud growls and barks, but they could tell that Naruto was making it mad.

"Naruto, back away from it!" exclaimed Hakutoshi.

Regardless to what Hakutoshi said Naruto only walked up closer to the bijuu and crossed his arms.

"See if I care." said Naruto defiantly.

"Oh holy crap." whispered Kiba as he turned from Naruto to the Bijuu to see his reaction to Naruto's defiance.

**"Hmm... Back off kit! I don't want the Kyuubi to be anywhere near me!"**said the Bijuu.

"Even if I am here to help you? asked Naruto.

For once in this loud and noisy conversation, there was a silence.

_**"How could you help?"**_asked the Bijuu.

"Well, you said you needed HER to speak to you, well, whoever SHE is, Me and Kiba could teach her the language of the canine." said Naruto.

**_"Hm..."_**mumbled the Bijuu.

"How do you speak Canine Naruto?" asked Kiba curiously.

"I understand most languages, any language the Kyuubi knows, I know." answered Naruto.

"The Kyuubi?" asked Hakutoshi.

"Never mind it. It is best for you not to dwell on such things." said Shino.

"...Okay...for now then..." said Hakutoshi.

"Oh. I get it." said Kiba.

_**"Please, help me with this one thing, and I will reward you greatly."**_said the Bijuu,

"And Kyuubi?" asked Naruto.

_**"I suppose I could put up with being near him if I could just talk to HER..."**_said the Bijuu.

"Who is HER?" asked Kiba.

**_"Her."_**said the Bijuu, pointing at Houkou.

"Houkou? Why Houkou?" asked Kiba suspiciously.

_**"That is my business, not yours."**_said the Bijuu.

"Fair enough I suppose, but how are we going to teach her, we can't stay here forever, we have to get back to Konoha, I mean, teaching some something like that can take a long time!" complained Naruto.

_**"You do not have to stay here. you may take her with you."**_said the Bijuu.

'"She's the Raikage! We can't just take her! She is a very important person!" exclaimed Kiba.

_**"Yes you can, based on what I've heard, she'll be able to handle leaving... I am running out of time to be here, I must quickly tell you everything you need to know."**_said the Bijuu.

"Okay, tell us what to do." said Naruto.

**_"First, the seventh Bijuu lies in the desert skirt, and you must now go after it, because it will find you."_**

"...Skirt?" asked Kiba.

_**"Yes, it usually burrows in through holes, but nothing complex, he usually just sticks to two separate holes."**_

"Two holes?" asked Kiba.

_**"That is just about it, aside for the fact that you have to do it within one month or so."**_said the Bijuu.

_'Holy Crap! Just a month!? How the heck are we going to do that? Grrr... I suppose that we have no room to argue...' _thought Naruto.

"Okay, we got it, we know what to do now." said Naruto.

_**"Good, if you ever need to see me, just ask HER."**_said the Bijuu.

Suddenly the Bijuu disappeared in a small whisp of smoke.

"..."

"Well we had better get started." said Naruto.

Naruto moved over to Houkou's body and picked up her left leg.

"Help me out Kiba" said Naruto.

"Okay." said Kiba.

Kiba then walked over and grabbed her right leg, It kind of looked like they were about to...

"Oh. My. God." said Shino.

"Th-this...this is-isn't h-happen-n-ning..." muttered Hinata as she covered up her face from embarrassment.

"Dear Lord! What do you two think you are doing?!" asked Hakutoshi incredulously.

Hakutoshi quickly began to run over to them.

"What?" asked Kiba.

"Yeah, all we were doing was getting her body ready for alot of movement." said Naruto.

Hakutoshi finally got to them and pushed the two away from her.

"You sick perverts!!" shouted Hakutoshi as he picked up Houkou's body.

"Wait!" shouted Shino.

Everyone stopped and looked at him.

"I believe that there is a great misunderstanding." said Shino.

"Where?! I don't see where this is all coming from!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Maybe if I re-capped your conversation with the Bijuu, but took out the parts where he talked, you will understand the um...misunderstanding." said Shino.

"Here is what we heard..." said Shino.

--

"Houkou? Why Houkou?" asked Kiba suspiciously.

(Bijuu talks)

"Fair enough I suppose, but how are we going to teach her, we can't stay here forever, we have to get back to Konoha, I mean, teaching some something like that can take a long time!" complained Naruto.

(Bijuu talks)

'"She's the Raikage! We can't just take her! She is a very important person!" exclaimed Kiba.

(Bijuu talks)

"Okay, tell us what to do." said Naruto.

(Bijuu talks)

"...Skirt?" asked Kiba.

(Bijuu talks)

"Two holes?" asked Kiba.

(Bijuu talks)

"Okay, we got it, we know what to do now." said Naruto.

(Bijuu talks)

Suddenly the Bijuu dissapeared in a small whisp of smoke.

"..."

"Well we had better get started." said Naruto.

Naruto moved over to Houkou's body and picked up her left leg.

"Help me out Kiba" said Naruto.

"Okay." said Kiba.

--

"..."

"Oh..." said Naruto.

"He he, most of that sounded like we were going to..." said Kiba.

"I know! I get it!" shouted Naruto as he rubbed his temples in frustration.

"I don't want that image in my mind!" complained Naruto as he cleared his mind.

Hinata didn't know why, but Naruto NOT wanting another girl, made her feel very happy.

"S-So...w-what really happened then?" asked Hinata.

Naruto and Kiba then explained to everyone what had happened, and what was actually said between them and the Bijuu.

"..."

"I-I see, b-but... What does it all mean?" asked Hinata.

"Why does the Bijuu want to talk to Houkou, why did it tell you of another Bijuu, and why did it tell you JUST that Bijuu?" asked Shino.

"...I...don't know...But I know what we must do." said Naruto

"There is something I may have failed to mention...About... the Kamizuru clan..." said Hakutoshi.

"What?" asked Shino.

--

END OF CHAPTER


	23. The Kamizuru clan: Vengeance?

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

For those who wan to make a comment, or ask me a question, you can always make a review, and I will respond to you by making my own review. Or you can Private message me like many people have already done. I don't know how to private message back, but I will make a review to answer it anyways.

Enjoy my longest chapter so far.

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 23:**_

**_Kamizuru clan: Vengeance_**

Naruto and Kiba had propped up Houkou, and lifted her up onto their shoulders by her arms, and even though things were explained by Naruto and Kiba, Hakutoshi still looked at Kiba with distaste and mistrust.

"...The Kamizuru clan..." said Hakutoshi wearily as he kept a watchful eye on Kiba.

"The Kamizuru Clan? Who are they?" asked Naruto.

"They are... they were, a thriving clan in our previous capital, Kumogakure." said Hakutoshi.

"Previous capital? What happened to Kumogakure that made it lose its title as the Lightning capital?" asked Kiba.

Hakutoshi was looking sad, and more depressed when he mentioned this. Hakutoshi stared at the ground, then looked straight at Kiba with a hardened face.

"...It...it was..." said Hakutoshi.

"It was... utterly destroyed..." said Hakutoshi.

Everyone gasped, and Naruto and Kiba almost dropped Houkou.

"What?! Destroyed? How could such a powerful village be destroyed?" asked Kiba.

"The Bijuu..." said Hakutoshi.

"The five tailed Bijuu?" asked Naruto.

"The one we just talked to!?" asked Kiba.

"No, the one who destroyed Kumogakure is dead." said Hakutoshi.

"Dead!? S-someone actually m-managed to.. to k-kill a Bijuu?" asked Hinata.

"Yes, a group of strange people with strange powers suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and made the monster disappear into thin air, right before our eyes." said Hakutoshi.

"Akatsuki..." said Naruto angrily.

"Yes, that is what they called themselves, it was strange, this happened right during the great war between, the Fire, Lightning, and Wave countries." said Hakutoshi.

"How exactly did it happened?" asked Kiba curiously.

"Well... some Leaf Elite ninja had broken through our borders, and had joined the fight between us and the Waves. This complicated things in terms of warfare, and it looked as though both sides would lose to the Leaf, but then our leader, the third Raikage, suddenly and without warning, transformed into the giant creature, Raijuu." said Hakutoshi.

"Ah. Yes, Raijuu, I remember that..." said a voice from behind them.

They all turned around too see a tall man, sporting a green jump suit.

"(gasp) Gai Sensei?" asked Hinata incredulously.

"When did you get here?!" asked Kiba.

"About the same time as everybody else." said Gai.

"Everybody else?" asked Naruto.

Gai then reached behind him and grabbed the giant doors, then, with one great push, fully opened them.

The doors slowly opened and finally hit the side of the temple, stopping them.

It was night-time outside, and Naruto couldn't tell who it was, but there was a great amount of people walking towards him.

Naruto saw one of the people's shadows, and recognized the a hair doo that resembled a pineapple.

"(gasp) Shikamaru!" said Naruto.

"Hey." said Shikamaru.

From behind Shikamaru came Ino and Chouji.

"Ino! Chouji!" said Kiba.

They smiled and waved as they turned to wait for the others.

"Kurenai, Ten Ten, Neji!" said Hinata happily as she waved to them.

Kurenai and Ten Ten smiled while Neji merely nodded.

"Bushy brows, Asuma, Sai, Kakashi, Sakura!" said Naruto happily.

Lee ran in and stood next to Gai, then waved enthusiastically. Asuma walked over to Kurenai, but in return, she moved over to Hinata. Asuma sighed and then walked over to Shikamaru, while Sai, Kakashi, and Sakura walked over to Naruto and stood next to him.

"Hows it going?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto was almost too shocked to respond...almost.

"Kakashi! Sakura! Sai!...Everybody! What are you all doing here?" asked Naruto happily.

"Hey Naruto!...What's with the hat?" asked Ino.

"Yeah, I was wondering that too." said Shikamaru.

"Oh, it's just... something I'm trying out..." said Naruto.

"Well anyway, we were sent by Tsunade-sama to take care of any Lightning soldiers that may attack you." said Kakashi.

"Yeah, seeing that you guys walked right into their new capital." said Gai with a chuckle.

"New capital? What happened to the other one?" asked Ino curiously.

"Ahem..." said Hakutoshi.

Everyone turned and looked at the Raikage's captain.

"I was getting to that before I was so rudely interrupted... But...you! You said that you remembered Raijuu! Were you there when it happened?" asked Hakutoshi, kind of rudely for Gai's taste.

"Yes, I was, me Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai were sent in with a couple other groups to try and stop the war so that neither side could lose any more casualties than already sustained, so Sarutobi Sensei led us in with Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and Taijutsu ablaze!" said Gai enthusiastically.

"Remember Kakashi? Remember how funny it was when you hit the Raikage in the balls?" said Gai with a loud chuckly guffaw.

Hakutoshi looked mortified, and everyone else just put their hands over their faces in exasperation.

"(sigh) Will you stop bringing that up! And you KNOW that it was a complete accident... besides, it was only a shadow clone." said Kakashi, who looked quite embarrassed.

Asuma coughed to get everyone's attention, then continued the story for him.

"Ahem, anyways, there we were, we were fighting as hard as we could to stop the fight, but all we could do was beat them down, so, we tried to find the Raikage and the Mizukage. We decided that we should split up, Me, Kurenai, and Sarutobi went for the Mizukage, and Gai went with Kakashi to find the Raikage. When we finally found the Mizukage, he gave up and pulled back his troops before we could even have a word with the guy." said Asuma.

"We were happy, we thought the war was over, but then, the Raijuu appeared." said Gai dramatically.

"Yes, after me and Gai, er... FOUND the Raikage, and er I...accidentally HARMED him, it turned out to only be a shadow clone." said Kakashi.

"Yeah, we never really SAW the real Raikage, until he turned into that weasel thing..." said Gai.

"Yes, the Third Raikage was secretly a Jinkurichi, and the beast within him lost control." said Hakutoshi sadly.

"That is what we figured, so we gathered all of the people we could, and tried to evacuate the city as quickly as possible." said Kakashi.

"Yeah, that is what Sarutobi told us to do before he ran off in the direction of the beast." said Kurenai nostalgically.

"Yes, I thought the old man had gone crazy, taking on the six tail like that! But then when we thought all hope was lost, the Akatsuki appeared." said Asuma.

"We thought that they were on our side, we even cheered them on, but we all quickly realized that they were not our allies... When they needlessly slaughtered an innocent citizen." said Kurenai quickly, before Naruto could interject.

"Yes, they used strange kinjtsus and ninjutsus to bring down the beast, but, just as the beast was about to charge a final attack, the attack to destroy us all, the beast disappeared in a huge flash of light." said Asuma.

"Right! And when the light finally dimmed, the Raijuu had completely vanished." said Gai.

"Yes the only casualty that the Akatsuki suffered, was Fugaku Uchiha, who was apparently only knocked out..." said Kakashi.

"Wait, Who is Fugaku Uchiha?" asked Sakura.

"Well, if you want the best description of him... I would simply say that he was the father of Sasuke and Itachi." said Kakashi.

"WHAT!? Sasuke's father was a traitor?!" exclaimed Sakura.

"No. After picking up his body, we brought him back to Konoha, and interrogated him, but before we could get any farther, The Third came and told us that he was inserted into the Akatsuki as a spy many years ago, and that he was trying to leak Akatsuki information to Konoha." said Kakashi.

"Oh, I see! That night Itachi killed the Uchiha clan, he took Fugaku's open spot in the Akatsuki!" said Ino.

"Yeah, something like that." said Kakashi with a sigh.

"Anyways, to answer your earlier question Ino, Kumogakure was completely destroyed, so, the People of the Lightning tore down all of the remains, and created a new village, completely reborn as Raigakure, in memory of the third Raikage." said Kakashi.

"Well, that makes since I guess, but Hakutoshi said something about the Kamizuru clan before, what does that have to do with anything?" asked Naruto.

"The Kamizuru Clan eh? Weren't they were the ones who were nearly wiped out by the Aburame clan, and left Konohagakure for Iwagakure, then abandoned them as well, and left for Raigakure?" asked Asuma.

Everyone gasped, and turned to look at Shino.

"..."

"Oh don't worry everyone, this isn't awkward at all." said Shino sarcastically.

"Besides, its not like I was even old enough to take part in that fight anyway, relevantly enough, it took place just around the same time as the great war." said Shino.

"Sorry, I just found it coincidental that an Aburame walked into a village filled with an enemy." said Hakutoshi.

"What?" asked Naruto.

"An... enemy?" asked Hinata.

"Yes, ever since the great war, this village has seen a number of Kamizuru clan members arrive, and they have increased greatly in number." said Hakutoshi.

"Why did the Kazimuru clan even attack the Aburame clan?" asked Lee.

"Well, it was a territorial thing, the two clans, Aburame, and Kamizuru, were located directly next to each other. And both were expanding, so one day, without warning, the Kamizuru clan attacked, claiming that there could only be one bug-based clan." said Shino.

"Bug-based? You mean the Aburame clan and the Kamizuru clan are both bug users?" asked Chouji.

"Yes, the last time I fought them, they summoned a giant bee, and I had to exterminate it." said Hinata.

"More like beat the living crap out of it! I remember that, you're awesome Hinata!" said Naruto exuberantly.

Hinata blushed and started to twiddle her fingers.

"Yes, I was there too, remember, they tried to kill me to get revenge for their clan, and I don't have any doubts that they wouldn't do the same here in Raigakure, even if everybody witnessed it." said Shino.

"You're right, we need to get you out of here!" said Kurenai.

"Right! Let's get going everyone!" shouted Gai.

Everyone turned and ran towards the entrance, and Naruto, Kiba, Hinata, and Hakutoshi just stood there.

"Wait!!" shouted Naruto loudly.

Everyone stopped and Chouji tripped, squishing Ten Ten, and Neji.

"..."

"You know, you could have slowed down first..." said Naruto.

"Right, sorry, Ten Ten, Neji." said Chouji as he slowly got off of them.

Neji and Ten Ten stood up and dusted themselves off.

"Just watch it you big..." said Neji.

Neji stopped and saw the death glare he was getting from Chouji.

"...Gentleman." finished Neji.

Chouji then smiled, and dusted himself off.

"Sure, no problem." said Chouji with a smile.

"(phew)" sighed Ten Ten with relief.

"Well, what is so important that you made us stop so abruptly Naruto?" asked Kurenai.

"We have new mission, and it involves... the fourth Raikage." said Naruto dramatically.

Everyone gasped, and Sakura put her hands over her face.

"The Fourth Raikage?! Oh god! Now what have you done?" asked Sakura tiredly.

"Well, we kind of ran into the fourth Raikage, and she asked me a favor, so I followed her to a temple where she showed me the five tailed-Bijuu." said Naruto.

"What?! The five-tail?! The elemental wolf Bijuu?!" asked Asuma with surprised face.

"Yeah, it was very rude to me at first, but after I made a deal, it was very straight forward in asking a favor from me." said Naruto.

"You talked to the Bijuu?!...YOU MADE A DEAL?!" exclaimed Gai.

"Yeah, I promised that I would teach the fourth Raikage how to speak canine." said Naruto.

"YOU SPEAK DOG?!" exclaimed Gai again.

"...Yes...anyways, I have one month to teach the Raikage canine, and...and..." said Naruto.

"And?" asked Kurenai.

"Well, there wasn't enough time to talk to him about it." said Naruto.

"Yeah, he said that he was running out of time." said Kiba.

"Time?" asked Asuma.

"Time for what?..." asked Shikamaru.

"Dunno, but as collateral, the Bijuu gave me valuable information in return for my favor." said Naruto.

"Information? With the intellect and age of a bijuu, he could know practically anything about everything..." sad Kakashi.

"Yeah, so, what did he tell you?" asked Kurenai.

"Well, he told us that the seven tailed Bijuu was located in the skirts of the nearest desert, but he told us not to look for him, because the seven tail... would come looking for us..." said Naruto dramatically.

"A Bijuu?! Looking for us?!" exclaimed Lee.

"Oh holy crap..." said Kakashi.

"This will be soooooo troublesome..." said Shikamaru with a hand on his head.

"He didn't say why either, just that he would only burrow two tunnels at a time..." said Naruto.

"Ah, so he's an earth user." said Gai with interest.

"Yes, the seven tailed badger Kaku, specializes in earth style jutsus, and even some Kinjutsus." said Kakashi.

"..."

"How do you always know all of this stuff?" asked Kurenai.

"...I read..."

"..."

"...alot..." said Kakashi.

"Apparently..." said Sasuke.

Naruto, Hinata, and Kiba gasped and pointed at the figure in the doorway.

"Sasuke? They let you out?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah... they even gave me these nice unbreakable wrist bands..." said Sasuke.

Sasuke lifted up his sleeves and showed everyone the wristbands. They were black colored, and covered in some kind of advanced seals.

"Oh ho! The ANBU's official belter bands. Those are very nice Sasuke." said Kakashi with a smile.

"What is a belter band?" asked Ino.

"They are a specialized wrist band used to restrain S rank criminals, they are designed to reach deep into the core of your chakra's circulation, and reverse the chakra's spiraling core, causing your chakra to completely cease... and as a nasty after-effect, it launches you around 200 meters backwards, this is caused by the chakra being so suddenly reversed." said Kakashi.

"Oh I see, they have you on a leash..." said Naruto.

"Yeah..." said Sasuke.

"Yeah well, I have a leash too, and its name is Captain Yamato..." said Naruto.

"By the way, where is he?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah, he said he would only take a quick stop, but I haven't seen him since he stopped." said Kakashi.

"Oh well, even if was ambushed for some reason, he would catch up to us eventually." said Asuma.

"..."

A silence went by and it was starting to get uncomfortable for Sasuke.

"Naruto... Sakura..." said Sasuke.

Naruto and Sakura looked at him, but the way they looked at him was very unforgiving.

"They...told me... what I've done... over the years... everything." said Sasuke sadly.

Naruto and Sakura looked surprised.

"I'm...sorry...in fact I couldn't be more sorry..." said Sasuke.

"I... am a failure." said Sasuke.

Naruto and Sakura looked shocked now, and they weren't sure whether this was Sasuke talking or not.

"Failure, as a friend, failure as a comrade, failure as..." said Sasuke.

Sasuke stopped and looked at Naruto with a small amount of tears in his eyes.

"A brother." said Sasuke.

Naruto was extremely shocked, and thought Sasuke must be going insane.

"And... as... as..." said Sasuke.

Sasuke couldn't even look up he was choking up so hard, he was now on his hands and knees with his head hung low.

"...A... boyfriend." whispered Sasuke.

Sakura took one look at Sasuke after hearing these words, and fell over backwards in a heap.

Naruto and Kiba turned to see Sakura down on the floor unconscious.

"(gasp) Sakura!" exclaimed Kiba and Naruto.

They went to help pick her up, but forgot that they were holding Houkou.

(slam!)

Houkou plopped to the ground very hard.

"Houkou!" exclaimed Kiba as he went to help Houkou instead.

Naruto heaved Sakura onto his shoulder, and Kiba did the same with Houkou.

"...By the way, who is that?" asked Gai.

"Oh her? She's the fourth Raikage." said Kiba.

Everyone but Kakashi and Sasuke gasped, and Hakutoshi was holding one hand over his face.

"Yes, she is the fourth Raikage, and I am Hakutoshi, the Captain of the Raigakure police force, as well as the Head of the Jounin department." said Hakutoshi.

"Now then, we must relocate her to a safer location, preferably the Raikage tower." said Hakutoshi.

"But before we go, I need to warn you of the Kamizuru clan. They are large in number now, and have been plotting something recently, we have tried to investigate into this, but have only come up empty handed. So, if you see any suspicious looking characters, or any other people with alot of bugs, let me or Raikage-sama know." said Hakutoshi.

"Right, you heard him everyone, now lets go." said Kakashi.

Everyone turned and left except for Naruto, and Sasuke who was still on his hands and knees. Sasuke got up from the floor and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Is that really how you feel?" asked Naruto.

"..."

"...Yes...It was...very... hard to say." said Sasuke.

"Yeah, especially the boyfriend part eh?" said Naruto with a chuckle.

"Heh... always the goof." said Sasuke.

_"Chshhhhhh... Na...o...an...er...Na-uto ans-errrrrr..."_ said a voice from Naruto's pocket.

Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out his CBU.

"Yeah?" asked Naruto.

_"Naruto? This... Ibiki, I have... mental analysis... wanted."_said Ibiki.

"Okay, I'm listening, but try switching to channel 3." said Naruto.

_"Okay...ju.. a... ec... Okay, He's not lying, all memories are actually not erased, but are somewhere else in the recesses of his mind, so until something knocks it back into him, Sasuke will not remember anything that happened."_said Ibiki.

"I see." said Naruto.

Naruto looked at Sasuke, and Sasuke had heard the whole thing so far, but kept looking at the floor.

_"I have something else for you, something very interesting, it turns out that Orochimaru's curse seal is purposely affecting the emotional lobe of his brain, and it is significantly weakening ever since he got that chakra wave of yours."_said Ibiki.

"I knew it." said Naruto.

_"But, if this interference with the emotional region of the brain goes on for much longer, it could make permanent damage."_said Ibiki.

"How long, does he have until..." said Naruto.

_"About...two months, I'd say."_said Ibiki.

"..."

"Thank you... Ibiki." said Naruto.

The transmission ended.

"..."

The silence was awkward between the two, the betrayer and the betrayed.

"I understand your mistrust." said Sasuke.

"..."

"Don't feel sorry for mistrusting me, I fully deserve it." said Sasuke.

Without another word, Sasuke jumped out the door, and ran in the direction of the Raikage tower.

Naruto sighed, and adjusted Sakura in his grip.

"I guess I'll have to keep an eye on him, based on where his memory is, he should be leaving for Orochimaru soon... or maybe... this time... he won't." said Naruto.

Naruto took off running, then started jumping right behind Sasuke.

--

At the Raikage's tower, The Konoha 11 were all patiently waiting in the office, while Houkou was laying down on her desk, recovering from what had happened at the temple.

Everyone had split up into pairs in the room, and had started talking amongst themselves.

Gai, Lee, Kakashi, and Asuma were in one corner.

Hakutoshi, Kiba, Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, and Chouji were in another corner.

Kurenai, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, and Sai were in the third corner.

And Sasuke stood in the last corner, leaning against the wall so that he wouldn't have to face anyone.

"So, Gai-sensei, what would happen if I were to go over to Sakura, and ask her on a date?" asked Lee.

"Hm... To be honest, I'm not sure I know Sakura well enough to make a judgement there..." said Gai.

"I do, and based on what just happened with Sasuke, she would either completely ignore you, or very nicely turn you down." said Kakashi.

Lee hung his head, and let his arms droop.

"Drat, my quest for love with the spring cherry blossom have yet again been foiled, and this time... It happened before I ever made a move..." said Lee with a depressed voice.

"Its alright Lee, maybe Sakura just isn't the girl for you, maybe you just haven't looked hard enough." said Gai.

"Impossible. Sakura-chan is the only girl for me." said Lee.

"(sigh) Lee, here is a lesson I long ago learned." said Gai.

Lee suddenly stood straight up, and looked attentive, as though he were ready to take mental notes.

"If you stay fixated on something long enough, you will succeed in getting whatever it is you wanted, as long as your quest is pure of heart and mind. But, if you lack either purity of heart or mind, your fixation will only blind you from your true goal" said Gai.

"I'm... not sure that I understand sensei..." said Lee.

"He means that you are too fixated on Sakura, and this fixation of yours, is keeping you from seeing other girls, girls that may actually be your perfect match." said Kakashi.

"(gasp) I see!" said Lee.

"Right, so think about it, we know that your quest is pure of heart, but is it pure of mind?" asked Asuma.

"Well, I..." said Lee as he paused.

"Think about it, are you and Sakura ACTUALLY compatible?" asked Kakashi.

"Hm...Well, Sakura is sweet, calm, smart yet indecisive, strong, and is annoyed by over-confidence or energetic compulsions." said Lee.

"Okay, the next step is easy, describe yourself, and compare you side by side to her, to see if you are compatible." said Kakashi.

"Well, I am nice, which matches her sweet, I am quick to decide... which doesn't match her undecisiveness, we are both strong, but... The last two really..." said Lee as he got a sad face.

"We... aren't compatible... are we...Gai sensei?" asked Lee.

"No, based on what I've just heard, I don't think that you two could spend more than an hour together, let alone sustain a relationship..." said Kakashi bluntly.

Lee looked absolutely crest fallen, and stood there silently.

"..."

"He was asking me you idiot..." said Gai with a look-what-you've-done face.

"Well! That is that! I will just have to keep looking until I find someone who is right for me!" said Lee enthusiastically.

Gai looked surprised for a second, then gave Lee a big smile and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Atta boy Lee! That's the way to look at it!" said Gai happily.

"Well, that spell of depression passed quickly..." said Asuma.

"What spell of depression?" asked Naruto.

Naruto walked over to them, with Chouji, Shikamaru, and Neji.

"I was kind of depressed because I couldn't earn Sakura's love, but then, I realized that we just aren't meant to be." said Lee.

"I could have told you that..." said Chouji.

Shikamaru reached over and conked Chouji on the head.

"If you don't have to say it, then don't." said Shikamaru.

"Don't worry about finding love, I was lonely for a long time, and then I found Ten Ten." said Neji.

"Yeah, and he's an emotionless robot, so if HE can find love, then it should be a snap for you!" said Naruto.

Neji leaned over and knocked Naruto on the head.

(Clonk!)

"I guess I had that coming..." said Naruto. as he rubbed his head.

"..."

"So, Sasuke is back..." said Shikamaru, hoping to change the subject.

"Yeah, he feels horrible for what he did, although he doesn't know all of the details, he just knows a vague summary of his crimes. And even though that's all he has, he's still a walking-talking-emo-king." said Naruto.

"Heh, yeah, but I kind of feel sorry for him at this point, there is almost no way for him to make up for what he's done, even if he did wanted to make amends." said Neji.

"Yeah, even though it turns out Sasuke really did lose his memory, it doesn't erase all of the evil he has committed, with the curse mark affecting his mind, one can't really blame him, but it was HIS decision to leave us, not the curse mark's." said Naruto.

"Think about it though, it also doesn't erase the fact that he is trying." said Kakashi.

"I suppose not..." said Neji.

Everyone looked kind of sorry, except for Lee, who was staring anxiously at Neji.

"...So, Neji... I need to know, how... did you and Ten Ten get together?" asked Lee.

Neji looked over at Lee, and saw his hopeful gleaming face, and felt bad for him.

"(sigh) Well, it all started in the tunnels, during the last Konoha 9 mission. you were there, but I doubt you heard our very quiet conversation. So we got talking... and..." said Neji.

"You made out like a recently married couple on their first honeymoon." said Gai with a smile.

Neji's face turned red and he crossed his arms in embarrassment.

"Yes, I know all that, but, what was the actual thing that made you two get together?" asked Lee.

"Well to be perfectly blunt, we found a common ground, and we found ourselves attracted to each other." said Neji.

"So sometimes...you just need to sit down... and talk?" asked Lee.

"Yeah, sometimes that is all it takes... And what about you Naruto? Do you currently have a love target?" asked Kakashi.

"Well... no... I don't." said Naruto.

"What about Sakura, Naruto?" asked Neji.

"I am not compatible with her, she is too bossy, fickle, and... too much of a sister to me to want to go out with her." said Naruto.

"Really?" asked Kakashi suspiciously.

"Yeah, she's more family than anything else." said Naruto.

"I see, so then Naruto, who will be your next target?" asked Asuma.

"Got anyone in mind?" asked Chouji.

"Hm...Well, kinda..." said Naruto.

"What do you mean... kinda?" asked Gai.

Before Naruto could respond, he was interupted by a large crunching sound from the other side of the room.

Everyone looked over to se Hakutoshi's fist in the wall, right where Kiba had been previously standing.

"Jeez! What's your problem?!" asked Kiba as he backed up a bit.

"How dare you speak of the Raikage in such a way!" exclaimed Hakutoshi as he geared up for another punch.

"What? All I said was that she had a nice ass..." said Kiba innocently.

"GrrrrrrrRRRRR! I tear you apart you sick little pervert!" shouted Hakutoshi as he ran at Kiba.

"Excuse me? I'm not a..." said Kiba.

Kiba was cut off by a blur that took Hakutoshi, and pinned him to the wall across the room.

Naruto had Hakutoshi pinned and had him completely restrained, even though he was still struggling to break free.

"Hakutoshi! You are over-reacting!" said Naruto.

"Over-reacting? Certainly not! You heard how he talks about her! You heard what he said!" complained Hakutoshi.

"Hakutoshi, you must understand, we all come from different places, and different clans, and where Kiba is from, it is perfectly alright to speak your mind, no matter what it is, it shows that you have the courage and valor to do so." said Naruto.

Hakutoshi stopped struggling and started to show a little bit of understanding.

"I see..." said Hakutoshi.

Hakutoshi then studied Kiba, and looked into his eyes.

_'Hm... He doesn't realize that he has done anything wrong, because that's how he's used to acting... its not his fault...' _thought Hakutoshi.

"Besides, to me, it sounded like a compliment to me." said Naruto as he let go of Hakutoshi.

"Right, I understand... I'm... sorry for over-reacting like that Kiba, just... don't talk like that around me much, okay?" asked Hakutoshi.

Kiba smiled and dropped his hands from his defensive position.

"Heh, apology accepted." said Kiba.

Kiba walked over to Hakutoshi, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Here, come with me, I want to talk to you about... the Raikage." said Kiba as he led him into an unoccupied corner to chat privately.

Everyone continued their conversations as usual, except for Sasuke who still sat in the corner.

"Well, glad that's over." said Ino.

"Yeah, men can be such pains sometimes." said Sakura.

Sai then took out a notepad and quickly began to write something down.

"Well, Sakura, that might be why you don't have a boyfriend." said Ten Ten.

Sai continued to write something down.

"Excuse me?" asked Sakura with a threatening face.

"Well, you are always very mood swingy, and you tend to...bite people's heads off." said Ten Ten.

Sakura looked down at the ground sadly.

Sai was now writing with incredable speeds, and was still going even when they stopped talking.

"Sorry, its just that... I've gone though alot of stress lately." said Sakura.

"W-well Based on what S-Sasuke just got done saying b-before we left, it s-sounds like you could get him t-to... relieve th-that stress...i-if you know what I m-mean..." hinted Hinata.

Sakura, Ten Ten, and Ino blushed, and Kurenai was looking at Hinata like she was a ghost.

"Hinata?!" asked Kurenai disbelievingly.

"W-what? Do you n-not agree?" asked Hinata.

There was a profound silence...

(Loud scribbling noises)

"..."

"Sai! would you get out of here?!" exclaimed Sakura.

Sai peeked up from his pad and looked surprised.

"Sorry, I didn't realize you were there." lied Sai through a smile.

"I'll move over here iif that is alright." said Sai.

Sai then turned around, walked to the center of the room and continued to write on his pad while still facing them.

"(sigh) Just ignore him." said Kurenai.

"Anyway, I would love to take him up on any offers if he is presenting them... but I just don't know if... I should." said Sakura.

"I understand, its been a long time for you, but realize this, his memory is gone, so that means it hasn't been any time at all for him." said Kurenai.

"I know, but his memory is right before the time he... betrayed us." said Sakura.

"Well, go change that then. Make it so he doesn't go away this time, go show him who you are and what you have to offer, who knows, maybe he will return the favor, and stay with us this time around." said Ten Ten.

"I'll... have to think about it." said Sakura.

"Hmm... So Hinata, how is your love life coming along?" asked Kurenai.

"Ex-excuse m-me?" asked Hinata as she blushed a bit.

"You heard me, I know that Shikamaru is with Temari, Ten Ten is with Neji, Sakura wants Sasuke, and Ino wants Shika or Chouji." said Kurenai.

Ino blushed tremendously and turned away from everyone.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about." said Ino stubbornly.

"Whatever, my point is, you are really the only one right now that I'm am unsure of." said Kurenai.

"So Hinata, who is your love interest?" asked Kurenai.

"As though all of you d-don't already know..." said Hinata.

"Know what?" asked Ino.

"You mean you don't know?" asked Sakura.

"Sakura! shush!" said Hinata desperately.

"Hinata has like, the biggest crush on Naruto." said Sakura with a smile.

"REALLY?!" asked Ino incredulously.

"Yeah, she's had a crush on him for a LONG time, and the years that he was gone with Jaraiya, she was waiting all of that time for him to come back, and now that he has, she still is too frightened to make a move." said Sakura.

Everyone in the girl's group turned and looked at Hinata, she had unzipped her jacket partially, and hid her face underneath the collar by zipping it back up.

"Hinata! Come on! You can totally get Naruto! You have something that none of us have, and I'm sure that Naruto would like it alot." assured Kurenai.

Hinata cautiously poked her head out of her collar, and looked at them.

"R-really?" asked Hinata through her jacket.

"Yeah, here let me prove it." said Kurenai.

"H-how?" asked Hinata.

"Hey Naruto!" called Kurenai.

"(squeak!) Kurenai no!" gasped Hinata.

Naruto said something to the guys, then walked towards them.

Naruto stopped and looked at Sai's pad.

"Sai, angry bitch isn't a name, you don't have to capitalize it..." said Naruto as he continued to walk over to them.

"Oh, thank you Naruto." said Sai as he began to erase something on his notepad.

Sakura looked really mad, and was about to go kill Sai.

Naruto made it over, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Just ignore him." said Naruto.

Sakura calmed down, and remembered that they were doing something for Hinata.

"Yeah Kurenai? What did you want?" asked Naruto.

Hinata's face was pure red, and she was trying to conceal herself, but the girls pushed her to the front.

"Well, Naruto, you are an intelligent and observant person. We were having an argument, and were kind of hoping you would settle something for us." said Kurenai.

"Sure, what do you want me to do?" asked Naruto.

"We want to know, what do you think are the best traits about Hinata?" asked Ten Ten.

Naruto paused, looked suspiciously about them, then moved over to Hinata with a hand on his chin as though studying her.

In response, Hinata immediately stood up straight, and tried to look her best.

"Hm... well, her best traits are that she is always nice and kind, she is always appropriately dressed, she keeps up her appearance by being very beautiful, and she is irresistibly cute." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata had a shocked look on her face, and she probably couldn't have been redder.

"Thank you Naruto, your input is greatly appreciated." said Kurenai.

"No problem, later Hinata." said Naruto as he walked back over to his group.

"See Hinata? You have something that none of us do, extreme cuteness and kindness. Even Naruto thinks so, and as a plus, did you realize that when Naruto walked away, he only said goodbye to you?" asked Kurenai happily.

All the girls smiled and turned to look at Hinata. But when they got a look at her, they immediately realized that something was wrong.

"Hinata! Your face is purple!" exclaimed Ten Ten.

Hinata's arms were completely ridged and perfectly straight, just as the rest of her body was when Naruto was inspecting her, and she still had a shocked look on her face.

"Oh my god! Breathe Hinata! You have to breathe!" shouted Sakura.

Hinata only responded by closing her eyes, and falling to the floor.

Everyone turned to look at Hinata, and they all rushed over to her.

Sakura got onto the floor, and put her head onto Hinata's heart.

"Crap! Crap! She isn't breathing!" shouted Sakura.

Naruto ran over and pushed Sakura off.

"Hinata!" shouted Naruto.

Naruto then unzipped Hinata's jacket and took it off. Then he ripped off her shirt. Naruto pressed his ear against her heart and listened carefully, it sound like it was slowing down.

"If she doesn't breathe soon, her heart will stop!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto then positioned himself on top of her, and pressed his lips to hers, forcing air into her lungs.

He then sat up on her, and began pushing on her chest with both hands.

"Breathe! Hinata Breathe!" shouted Naruto.

Naruto leaned in to force more air into her lungs, but just before he did, Hinata's eyes opened.

She layed there on the floor, with Naruto on top of her, and he was kissing her. Hinata's hands went straight up, and her face went neon red.

Naruto didn't notice, because he was too busy trying to give her air.

Naruto then sat up and placed his hands back on her chest to force her lungs to breathe the air again, but before he did, he realized that she was already breathing, Naruto then looked from her breathing chest, up to her face.

She had an extremely shocked look back on her face, and she was entirely speechless.

Naruto noticed that aside from her red face, she also had a very deep blush.

Naruto realized that he still had his hands on her chest, and from her perspective, it was probably not the most appropriate place for his hands to be.

Naruto didn't care though, he immediately moved his hands from her chest, and wrapped them around her.

"Meep!" squeaked Hinata.

Naruto then leaned in close to her, and whispered into her ear.

"Hinata, I... I thought I was going to lose you..." whispered Naruto.

Before Hinata could respond, Naruto got up from her, and lifted her onto her feet.

Before she could even say thank you, they were interrupted by a loud voice from outside.

"ABURAME! COME OUT AND PLAY!" shouted the voice.

Everyone quickly ran out onto the roof to see who was yelling.

They got on top of the roof, and were surprised to be met by at least a hundred Shinobi perched all around the city, but only one had a megaphone. Everyone including this man were almost completely covered with a dark green cloak, which rendered them undistinguishable between each other.

"ABURAME! WERE GLAD YOU CAME OUT TO PLAY AROUND WITH US, WE HAVING BEEN WAITING..." shouted the voice loudly.

"What is the meaning of this?!" shouted Naruto back.

The man ignored Naruto and continued to yell through the megaphone.

"FOR YEARS, WE SAT IN THE FAILURE OF THAT BATTLE, WE LIVED ON, TORTURED IN STONE, WHILST YOU SAT COMFORTABLY IN THE LEAVES!" shouted the voice.

"What are they talking about?" asked Kurenai.

"I believe they are talking about the Stone/Leaf battle where the Kamizuru clan betrayed Konoha, and joined the Stone village. After they lost that battle, they returned to their new home, and lost all respect there for their lack of power." said Shino.

"IT IS TIME THAT WE, THE KAMIZURU CLAN, TOOK OUR REVENGE!" shouted the voice.

"FIVE POINT BARRIER SEAL TECHNIQUE: HACHI'S GATE!!" shouted the voice.

Then from all sides of the village, 5 huge mounds of rock rose from the ground. Each had statues on top with different animal depictions on them. After the five huge Alters rose, a large field of energy rose from the top of each, and finally joined at the very center of the village, making it impossible for anyone to escape.

"Damn it! This jutsu..." said Naruto.

"You know this jutsu?" asked Hakutoshi.

"Yes we all have, it was used against us not too long ago by a very advanced Earth user, but, Yamato killed him!" said Naruto with his fists clenched.

"So, how do they know this jutsu?" asked Kakashi.

"I don't know..." said Naruto.

Naruto remembered that Hinata had just recovered, and Naruto never made completely sure that she was alright.

Naruto turned around and faced Hinata.

"Hinata, are you okay now?" asked Naruto.

Hinata was completely red, and barely managed to sputter out,

"Y-yes..." whispered Hinata.

Hinata still didn't have her shirt or jacket back, so she was standing in front of Naruto without anything but her bra.

"Good." sighed Naruto in relief.

Just then a masked man jumped on top of the man's head who was holding the megaphone.

"ACK! HEY!" said the man.

Naruto turned around to see what had happened.

"Who is that?" asked Hakutoshi.

The masked man then ran across the many buildings that separated them, and jumped up onto the Raikage's office roof. The man was strange, his movements were very floaty and elegant, yet at the same time very goofy. He finally jumped forward and landed next to Naruto.

"Evening!" said the man exuberantly.

Naruto did not know this man, but immediately recognized the cloak he was wearing.

"Akatsuki!" shouted Naruto as he pointed at the masked man.

The man looked kind of of happy that Naruto knew his organization, and started to clap his hands happily. Aside from the Akatsuki cloak, which he wore open, he wore Konoha police armor over a black baggy clothing. The weirdest feature about him, was the orange spiral mask that obscured his face.

"Ho! ho! So you know of us Naruto-kun?" asked the man.

Now Naruto looked even more pissed.

"Who the hell are you?!" asked Naruto angrily.

"You may call me Tobi!" said the man happily.

"I have performed this jutsu you see before you, although it is not mine, it is impressive no?" asked Tobi excitedly.

"No." said Naruto meanly.

"Ack! Oh! My heart is hurt from the sting of your words!" laughed Tobi.

"You are very clever Naruto-kun. Here, I have come all of this way to give you something, something very important to me." said Tobi.

Tobi then skipped merrily over, and handed Naruto a shiny card.

Naruto quickly took the card, and looked at it.

The card was blank.

"..."

"What the hell?! There is nothing on this card!" said Naruto.

"Hunno! There is too, but first you must do as I do!" sang Tobi.

Tobi then started to pretend as though he was gargling something, and he started to rub his armpits. He made it look as though he were taking a shower. Then he abruptly stopped, and took a chocolate chip cookie out of his pocket, and took a bite.

"..."

Everyone stared at him in silence, and even the Kamizuru clan was looking at him like he was crazy.

"Hahaha! Great fun! But fun or not, you will read nothing until I am copied!" said Tobi with a laugh.

"What the hell?! What do you mean!?" shouted Naruto.

"I'm sorry, your time is up! Please insert 50 cents to continue your call!" said Tobi with a laugh.

"...You bastard!" shouted Naruto.

"Bye bye! and... Good luck!" laughed Tobi as he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"..."

"AS WE WERE SAYING... PREPARE TO DIE ABURAME!" shouted the man with the megaphone.

"(sigh) This is not my day..." said Naruto.

"But Naruto...it is night out..." said Sai.

"...Where have you been!?" asked Naruto.

"Getting captain Yamato." said Sai.

"Yeah, sorry for the delay." said Yamato as he rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Better late then never." said Naruto.

"Alright! Formations: Team 7 duo captains, duo Sasuke positions, Team 8, and Team Gai!" oredered Naruto.

Everyone got into formation, and even Sasuke teamed on the same formation as Sai.

"So, I hear you are my replacement." said Sasuke.

"Yes. I suppose so, but I am no longer needed any more." said Sai.

"Yes you are Sai! Formations go!" shouted Naruto.

All teams took off in the direction of the Kamizuru clan.

"THERE IS THE ABURAME! TAKE HIM OUT!" shouted the leader.

All at once, all 100 Kamizuru clan members charged forward towards Team 8.

"Just as I thought." said Naruto with a smirk.

"Separate them!" shouted Naruto.

Before the clan could get to Shino, Gai and Lee swooped in and kicked 10 or so opponents each in different direction of town. They flew a great distance, and all of them landed on their feet, but were too far away to do anything. Then Chouji jumped up into the air, and enlarged into a giant sphere.

"Human boulder!" shouted Chouji.

Chouji then started to spin and sent at least 50 people flying in different directions of the villlage.

Finally, Sakura jumped from on top of a building and thrust her hand into the ground.

"Raaaaah!!" shouted Sakura.

The earth rumbled and broke into jagged pieces, which jutted up into the air and sent the remaining soldiers flying.

"Now that they are separated, take them out!" shouted Naruto.

Everyone heard Naruto through the standard CBU's and separated themselves throughout Raigakure.

Naruto sat in waiting as he watched his plan unfold.

The fighting went on for 20 minutes, at which point, Naruto became concerned.

"They shouldn't be taking this long..." said Naruto.

Naruto then picked up his CBU and talked into it.

"Hey! what is taking so long?" asked Naruto.

At first he got no response, but then he finally heard a familiar voice.

_"Naruto, they are using some very unfamiliar techniques, most of which are insect based, and there seems to be no end to the damn bugs." _said Neji.

"I already knew that would happen, but what are they doing with the bugs that makes them so hard?" asked Naruto.

_"They won't let us near them! They seem to be able to produce an infinite number of bugs at will!" _shouted Neji as he heard fighting noises in the background.

"Don't worry I have an idea. Everyone! put on your gas masks, this is going to be kind of disgusting!" shouted Naruto.

"Hakutoshi? Is everyone indoors?" asked Naruto.

At first he got no response, but then he finally heard him.

"Yes, when the clan showed up, I immediately ordered an emergency stage one, and everyone is underground, why?" asked Hakutoshi.

"Just wanted to make sure." said Naruto.

"Get ready everyone, this is a trick I inspired from Jaraiya and Zabuza! said Naruto.

Naruto made a shadow clone, then, both of them started making hand-signs.

The clone finished first, and formed the final hand sign.

"Hidden Mist no jutsu!" shouted the first Naruto.

"Toad Sludge no jutsu!" shouted the second Naruto.

The first Naruto formed a sphere of water in his hands, and the second Naruto spewed sludge out of his mouth, and began to make a liquid sludge ball.

"I learned how to do the Hidden mist no jutsu when me and Jaraiya traveled in the wave country, but I only aspired to learn it after I saw Zabuza the legendary swordsman perform it first. The Toad sludge no jutsu however, I learned from Jaraiya, it is actually a very flammable oil substance, that, when broken down, basically becomes a liquid co2. And by combining these jutsus..." said Naruto.

The two clones then joined their spheres together to make an even larger ball of black liquidy oil.

The clone disappeared in a poof of smoke, and Naruto performed the jutsu.

"Combination jutsu, Hidden Toxication no jutsu!" said Naruto.

Naruto then condensed the ball into a tiny orb, and released it into the air. The ball exploded up into particles that became so small that they became water vapor, and changed the air around Raigakure into a think black fog.

"Success! Now then, Multi-shadow clone no jutsu!" shouted Naruto.

Naruto then made enough clones to circumnavigate the entire village.

Then, they all reached over to the clone on their left and started making Rasengans.

"Is it working everyone?" asked Naruto into the CBU.

A few seconds went by, and finally, Naruto got a response.

"Yes! Naruto, the enemy is coughing violently, and all of the insects are unconscious on the ground." said Lee enthusiastically.

"Th-This is perfect Naruto!" said Kurenai with a surprised voice.

"Right! now quickly, I don't care how many enemies are in the area, I want them all at least 20 meters in the air by my count. Ready?" commanded Naruto.

"What?!" shouted Asuma.

"5, 4, 3, 2, 1, NOW!" shouted Naruto.

Suddenly, many enemies flew into the air, some higher than others, but they were at least high enough.

"Here we go! Rolling Rasengan no jutsu!" shouted Naruto.

Then all of the Naruto clones chose a target, and pitched the Rasengans like baseballs. The spheres flew through the air, and each hit thier target, immobilizing them with the great force of Naruto's chakra.

After each target hit, the Rasengans were still drilling into the enemies, and had not faded yet.

Then, half of the Naruto clones, formed the Kage Bunshin hand sign, and looked up into the sky.

"Combination: Rasenbomb no jutsu!" shouted the Naruto clones.

Then each of the Rasengans reverted to stage two, and in a large explosion, ripped the enemies clothes, skin, and armor into shreds, sending them all flying towards the ground unconscious.

"Now to get rid of this smog." said Naruto.

Each clone then started to make another Rasengan.

"Now! Reverse-Rasengan!" shouted Naruto.

All of the clones made Rasengans, but in reverse, so that instead of forcing the air around them away from the sphere, it all started to get sucked in. Naruto kept this up until Raigakure was clear of his smog.

Now each clones had a small amount of sludge in a small sphere.

"Now to get completely rid of the stuff." said Naruto.

Naruto then formed many hand signs, and blew through his hand.

"Phoenix flower no jutsu!" shouted Naruto.

Naruto then shot one fireball for each sludge ball. Each fireball hit each sludge ball and ignited it. Every ball exploded harmlessly, leaving no trace of the sludge, or the clones.

"(sigh) There, mission accomplished." said Naruto.

"Everyone, head back to the roof of the Raikage tower, and bring as many bodies as you can." said Naruto.

A few minutes later, everyone had made it back to the roof, although most of the roof was piled up with tied up unconscious clan members.

"Okay, good job everyone, you did great, I..." said Naruto.

Naruto suddenly paused and looked around the roof.

"Wait! Where is Hinata!?" asked Naruto worriedly.

"I thought she was with you!" said Neji.

"No! I thought she was with you!" said Naruto as he pointed at Kiba.

"..."

"Well then where is she?!" asked Naruto angrily.

"Oh? Getting quite defensive are you not?" asked Tobi.

Naruto turned around and Tobi was right behind him, eating a cookie.

"You!" shouted Naruto.

"No not You, my name is Tobi, and I heard that you are worried about your girlfriend." said Tobi.

"She isn't my girlfriend!" argued Naruto.

"No? You are getting quite defensive for someone who ISN'T his girlfriend..." said Tobi with a smirk.

"I... but you... she..." said Naruto.

Naruto found himself quite flabbergasted.

"Hahaaaaa!! Don't know what you want I see... Mmmmm... But, I know what you want to know! I was watching the fight, nice moves by the way, and I noticed that you left this pretty indigo-haired girl on the roof." said Tobi.

"What?! Hinata stayed on the roof?" asked Naruto.

"Why, yes! She fainted because you... Oh... for the girl's sake I won't say why, but anyway, she fainted without you knowing, and this strange man took her away." said Tobi.

"WHAT!?" screamed Naruto.

Tobi then started to dance around like a crazed ballerina.

"You'd better hurry, before he took her away, he said something along the lines of: ahem em hem!(clears throat) IF WE CAN'T TAKE THE ABURAME BY FORCE, THAN WE WILL JUST HAVE TO TRADE THE LEADERS GIRLFRIEND FOR HIM! MUHAHAHAHAHA!! It sounded something like that, but to tell you the truth I can't perfectly copy him..." said Tobi as his dance was ended abruptly by an extreme increase in power from Naruto.

Naruto just stood there looking very pissed as chakra practically leaked out of him.

"Naruto, we should..." said Neji, but suddenly Neji found it necessary to take a step back.

"RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!" screamed Naruto.

Naruto felt an extremely large aura, exuding all around him, like a chakra-based fire fueled by his rage.

"KYUUBI'S EYES!!" shouted Naruto at the top of his lungs.

Naruto activated his powerful doujutsu, and poured an unnecessary amount of chakra into it. Naruto then looked wildly around the village and peered into every building that he could.

"Were is she..." whispered Naruto.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" shouted Naruto.

"THERE!! LEAPING THUNDER GOD NO JUTSU!!" shouted Naruto.

Naruto then disappeared in a huge flash of light, and re-appeared where the man with the megaphone had originally been standing.

The very same man that had held the megaphone, was standing next to Hinata, who was tied up by all four of her limbs, one to each corner of a large square of wood. She was no longer unconscious, and was looking very distressed.

"(gasp) Naruto!" shouted Hinata.

Naruto looked at her, then turned to him.

"If you so much as make the wrong movement, she dies." said the man.

"On the other side of town is a chakra amplifier, it will shoot a concentrated beam that will kill her on contact." said the man.

"NO!! LET HER GO!!" shouted Naruto angrily.

"Only if you hand over the Aburame." said the man.

"Out of the question, I would never give up a friend to you!" said Naruto angrily.

"Fine, make the choice, your friend, or your girlfriend..." said the man.

He then held up a button in his hand.

"You have 5 seconds to decide" said the man.

"5..."

_'Shino or Hinata?'_ thought Naruto.

"4..."

_'My friend, or...'_

"3..."

_'Wait, Hinata is...'_

"2..."

_'She is..'_

"1..."

_'Special to me!!'_

The man clicked the button, and the beam flew across the village at an incredible speed, it almost too fast, even for Naruto.

Naruto then disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared in front of Hinata.

"Naruto NO!!" shouted Hinata.

"Hinataaaaaa!!" shouted Naruto.

Naruto took the full force of the beam, and pushed himself into Hinata. He had pushed her torso out of the way, so the beam would only go through the board she was attached to, and not her.

"Heh, I chose... both..." said Naruto.

"Naruto no! Naruto!" shouted Hinata.

Naruto felt himself blacking out, as he grasped his stomach in pain to find a large hole.

He fell over in a heap on the ground, and Hinata saw him fading away.

"NARUTOOOOOO!!" screamed Hinata with tears in her eyes.

--

END OF CHAPTER

This is not the end of the fic, do not worry!


	24. A Jinkurichi's Fate

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

Warning: This chapter contains the most information yet, and based on how people review, it may change a few times...

REVIEW PLEASE!

And PM me if you want, and while your at it... tell me how to private message... :3

_**Chapter 24:**_

**_A Jinkurichi's fate:_**

Back in Konoha, the Hokage's office was busier than ever, especially since half of the Hyuuga clan was crowding the rooms.

Tsunade sat at her desk while she let at least 17 people simultaneously complain that she was the worst Hokage ever.

"Grrrr..." moaned Tsunade as she grabbed her head in frustration.

The room was so noisy, that Shizune, being Tsunade's receptionist and secretary, couldn't even hear any of the newer people coming in to complain. In between people complaining in her ears, and the T.V. that someone turned on, Shizune thought that she would go deaf, or crazy...whichever came first.

(extremely loud violent complaining)

"Yes?! You... Wait Sir... I... No! She's, just wait a minute!" exclaimed Shizune as she was bombarded with complaints from every direction. She couldn't even get to Tsunade because there was so many people crowding the room.

Suddenly Tsunade stood up on top of her desk and screamed.

"SHUUUUUUUUUT UUUUUUUP!!"

Everyone was dead silent... Even the T.V. turned off by itself.

Everyone stood completely still in shock, then Tsunade jumped down and landed loudly on the ground in front of her desk.

(Boom!)

The floor shook and caused everyone to tremble in fear.

"Alright! Listen up and listen good!" said Tsunade as she pointed at everyone.

"Hyuugas! If you are all here for the same reason, I only need one of you to talk to!" hinted Tsunade.

"..."

"I only need one representative for the Hyuuga clan." hinted Tsunade again.

The Hyuugas all looked at each other and then looked back at Tsunade.

"That means leave... NOW!!" shouted Tsunade.

All of the Hyuugas were practically tripping over each other to get out of the room, and some guy even knocked over a goat.

"Okay, why is that goat in here? Does it have to do with someone's complaint?" asked Tsunade.

"...No...I think it's just a goat..." said Shizune as they all stared at the goat.

(awkward silence)

"..."

"Okay then... anyways, Hiashi Hyuuga will wait in here, everyone else will wait their turn in the hallway." said Tsunade.

Everyone filed out of the room accordingly, except for Hiashi, Shizune, Tsunade and Kakashi.

Hiashi walked up to her desk next to Shizune, and looked at her with impatience.

"Tsunade, I would like to request that you bring back Hinata immediately, she needs to be at home." demanded Hiashi.

"Why is this need so urgent, and why now?" asked Tsunade.

"I can't say, Kakashi needs to leave." said Hiashi plainly and rudely.

"By the way, Kakashi, what are you doing here?" asked Shizune who noticed him idling near the closed door.

Kakashi walked over to the windows, and closed all the blinds, while making his way over to Tsunade.

"I needed to talk to Tsunade, but I think that this conversation you are about to have with Hiashi has to do with what I wanted to talk about." said Kakashi.

"What do you mean, and how do you know what the conversation is going to be?" asked Hiashi rudely and suspiciously.

"Well, I assumed that it had to do with the mission that Hinata is on right now, seeing that everyone was yelling at Tsunade about it just now." said Kakashi.

"(sigh) Fine, if it pertains to this conversation, you may stay Kakashi." said Tsunade.

"No, he may not, this conversation will contain secrets of the Hyuuga clan, which have never been told to anyone outside of the main branch." said Hiashi.

Kakashi walked over to Hiashi and Shizune, and gave Hiashi a calm and patient look.

"Doesn't matter, I already know all of the Hyuuga's secrets, weaknesses, strengths, and history, so there is nothing you could say that I wouldn't already know." said Kakashi confidently.

"I beg to differ, so please leave." said Hiashi rather rudely for Kakashi's taste.

"(sigh) If this is about Nekomata's awakening... I already know." said Kakashi.

(collective gasp)

"Nekomata? The twin-tailed bijuu?!" asked Tsunade incredulously.

"How!? How do you know this?!" asked Hiashi angrily.

"You'd be surprised how far being friends with a Sannin will get you." said Kakashi with a smile.

Hiashi didn't even have to think for more than a second to realize who he was talking about.

"Jaraiya..." said Hiashi hatefully.

"Bingo! Many years ago, he used to date a Hyuuga from the Main branch... before she went and asked him to marry her." said Kakashi with a slight chuckle.

"(sigh) He just can't commit..." said Kakashi as he rubbed his head sheepishly.

"So what about Nekomata, and what does it have to do with the Hyuuga clan?" asked Tsunade.

"It has everything to do with the Hyuuga clan..." said Hiashi dramatically.

Shizune and Tsunade both listened in with rapt attention as Hiashi prepared to reveal the greatest secret of the Hyuuga clan.

"(sigh) Many years ago, the very first Hyuugas came to Konoha, almost immediately after its founding." said Hiashi.

"This Hyuuga, his name we do not know, but what we do know, is that he came to Konoha with the power of a Bijuu." said Hiashi.

Everyone gasped, but Kakashi looked calmer than ever.

"He came bearing a sword, family, and many scars about him." said Hiashi.

"He told the people of Konoha how he had just come from a Forest of Death, and that his wife was very sick. Terminally, in fact. He knew she would die, and he knew he would have to raise his children on his own." said Hiashi.

"That's horrible... but... a Forest of Death? Is that a real place?" asked Shizune.

"Most definitely" said Tsunade with a smile.

_'I remember grandfather speaking of that accursed place, on more than one occasion...'_ thought Tsunade.

"You have intrigued me, please, continue." said Tsunade with a wave of her hand.

"As you wish, so as I was saying, he found a spot in Konoha in which he could build a home, and his home still stands to this day, you may know it as the Hyuuga Estate." said Hiashi.

Hiashi received nods of understanding all around and decided to continue.

"Almost immediately after he founded the Hyuuga estate, his wife died a very early death, and no medical ninja could tell why... but he knew, he knew exactly what ailed her, but he realized, that in this village of ninja, he would have to have power if he wanted to live fairly among the other ninja clans. So he continued to make a family in which no single person had visible pupils. And in those eyes, lied a tactical strength that you all know." said Hiashi.

"The Byakugan." said Kakashi with a nod.

"Yes, but why did his wife die? And what of the sword? Or the Bijuu you told us of before?" asked Shizune impatiently.

"I am getting to that... I failed to mention that this Hyuuga, was a Seals master, and had figured out a way to seal away a Bijuu which he found terrorizing the Forest of Death. But this sealing, came at a terrible price... He would have to sacrifice 2/3 of the life span of one female, and all who follow first." said Hiashi gravely.

"(gasp) I get it! That's why his wife died! He used her to seal the Bijuu!" exclaimed Shizune.

"Correct, but please, do not interrupt." said Hiashi as he continued the tale.

"Many of the Hyuuga know this tale, but many do not know why he sealed the Bijuu in the first place..."

"He sealed it, because the Bijuu had become impure. All nine Bijuu of this world had become infected with the power of one man...Yamata no Orochi." said Hiashi.

"One Man?! You mean to tell me, that ONE MAN, turned all of the Bijuu evil?" asked Tsunade incredulously.

"That is correct." said Hiashi.

"If a man of such incredible power existed, then why is he not ruling today? Surely with such power, he would have obtained immortality?" asked Tsunade skeptically.

"Very observant, yes he did have immortality, but he was not invincible. He ended up fighting the King of the Bijuu, and I'm sure that you all know that particular Bijuu..." hinted Hiashi.

"Yes, Kyuubi no Yoko... Naruto is maintaining control of him." said Tsunade.

"Doubtful, but, whatever helps you sleep at night..." said Hiashi with a shrug.

Before Tsunade could reply, Hiashi continued the story.

"Many years ago, the Bijuu were peaceful creatures, placed on this world by gods to help maintain and protect this world. but with every good thing, comes something evil, it is the law of the universe. So naturally, these Bijuu had an evil side. So the gods sealed away this evil power in certain items, items that we simply call, Items of Power. But then, Yamata no Orochi did a horrible thing, he awakened the five elemental Bijuu, and stole some of the power from each item of power that helped keep the evil powers sealed in the Bijuu. Once this power was gone, the Elemental Bijuu turned evil, and the evil quickly spread to the remaining 4 Bijuu. And in the process of doing so, he became a jinkurichi to the 8-tailed snake Bijuu. But regardless, this unsealing was Yamata's greatest mistake, for within the five elemental Bijuu, was Kyuubi no Yoko, the fire elemental god, a monster with unlimited power. So once the Kyuubi was released, it wandered around restlessly, searching for its mate, and revenge" said Hiashi.

"Kyuubi had a mate?!" asked Tsunade incredulously.

"Yes, although Nekomata was always depicted as a twin-tailed black cat, it was originally another nine-tailed fox." said Hiashi.

"(gasp) Another nine-tail?!" asked Shizune incredulously.

"Yes, before Yamata no Orochi released the power within the seals, Nekomata and Kyuubi were the leaders of the Bijuu, the King, and the Queen. But when the evil within them was released, Nekomata gave up 7 of her tails, and her beautiful appearance, so that Kyuubi could keep his power after the seal broke. Enraged with Yamata no Orochi that his love had been reduced to such a disgusting feline form, they fought for over 100 years, after which, Yamata finally decided to seal Kyuubi in a raging volcano, but in doing so, sacrificed his life." finished Hiashi.

"..."

"...Wow, it's hard to believe that the Kyuubi even has feelings..." said Kakashi.

"Indeed, but none the less, as you know, the rest of the Bijuu were also successfully sealed by chosen ones, or prophecies such as the 4th Hokage, or the first Hyuuga.

"It's all starting to make sense now..." said Tsunade as she closed her eyes and put her elbows on her desk.

"Each prophecy was given an ancient seal by the gods themselves. These seals were made to slowly purify the Bijuu, and return them to their rightful states as peaceful creatures. Each Bijuu was sealed within a person, making the person a Jinkurichi" said Tsunade, who knew full well of the tales of the Bijuu.

"Like the first Hyuuga did with his wife... He made her a jinkurichi..." said Shizune, who could not believe a man would do such a thing, especially to his own wife.

"Yes, he sealed the Bijuu within his wife, but he also sealed it in all who follow first." reminded Hiashi.

"What does that mean?" asked Tsunade.

"It means that every first-born female descendant of his wife, would share her fate." said Hiashi.

"(Collective gasp)"

"That's awful!" exclaimed Shizune.

"Yes... it is. But in return, aside from sealing away the beast, any people who share the blood of the first born, would share the power of the Bijuu, the Byakugan." said Hiashi.

"Ah. So to keep his power in this ninja village, he would have to keep sacrificing 2/3 of the life of every first born Female." said Kakashi.

"It all makes since now." said Tsunade with a nod.

"But... but Hiashi... how is it that you have the Byakugan?" asked Shizune.

Everyone then stopped and looked at Hiashi curiously and suspiciously.

"Do not think that I too... have not made the sacrifice as well." said Hiashi gravely.

"(gasp)"

Just then every got a look of realization on their faces, and they all looked at him incredulously.

"Hinata!" exclaimed Shizune.

Hiashi closed his eyes, and bowed his head in shame.

"Hinata...is a jinkurichi?!" asked Shizune incredulously.

"You... you sicken me, you would sacrifice your family just to better the clan..." whispered Tsunade angrily as she clenched her fists.

"Do not get angry at me, it is not a choice I have made, the first born is cursed with a shortened life no matter what, it was only my choice to fall in love with the woman who died so undeservedly young." said Hiashi sadly.

Tsunade dropped her rage and suddenly felt sorry for the Hyuuga standing before her. Hiashi looked sad, more sad than she had ever seen him. Of course, Hiashi usually did his best to hide his emotions, so this new side of Hiashi caused Tsunade to feel bad for him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to jump to conclusions..." said Tsunade regretfully.

"It's alright, but now you need to understand why I want Hinata back so urgently." said Hiashi.

"Yes, we must know, and based on what Kakashi said before, it has something to do with Nekomata's awakening right?" asked Shizune.

"Correct, in one week, it will be the 12 year anniversary of my wife's death. She died when Hinata was only 4, and it was very devastating. But regardless, because that period of time has passed, Nekomata will awaken within Hinata. 12 years marks the time when Nekomata awakens for every first born, and it could mean horrible things for my daughter..." said Hiashi.

"Ah. It all comes together. And now, I believe it is time I reveal how what I needed to talk to you about, and how it has to pertain with this." said Kakashi.

"Go on then..." said Tsunade with a wave of her hand.

"Right, I have received word that Naruto, Hinata, and Shino have reached the land of Lightning, and attempted to enter Raigakure, the largest and most powerful city in the land of lightning..." said Kakashi.

"Wha...WHAT!?" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Are they trying to get themselves killed?! The people of the Land of Lightning are practically our enemies!" exclaimed Shizune.

"Yes, but I'm not sure that they were aware of this..." said Kakashi.

"No, I would imagine not, the Leaf and the Lightning could not afford for enemy countries to hear of such a horrible economically devastating war, so, both countries came to an agreement to never speak of the war again." said Tsunade.

"And what of the Rain, they took part in the war as well..." said Kakashi.

"Yes, but the war was such a failure to the Land of Rain, that they were much too proud to speak of such a catastrophe." said Tsunade.

"Well another may occur, so I came to request more leaf nin to be assigned to recovering Kiba Inuzuka." said Kakashi.

"Hmm... Makes since, but surely by now, they would have already have reached the city..." said Tsunade.

"Yes, but we still should probably send someone to explain to them the situation at hand." said Hiashi.

"Right, it is now of utmost importance that we get them back, especially with Hinata..." said Tsunade sadly.

"Wow... it's just hard to believe that she will die at such a young age... A nice girl like Hinata really doesn't deserve something like this..." said Shizune sadly.

"I have felt that way since she was born..." said Hiashi as he wiped an actual tear from his eye.

Everyone stared at Hiashi.

'He actually... cried?' thought Tsunade.

Suddenly Tsunade found herself motivated by Hiashi's tear.

"Alright! We must act quickly! Shizune! Send in the Konoha 11." said Tsunade.

"All of them?!" exclaimed Shizune.

"Yes, we may need all of them if the Jinkurichi situation gets out of hand..." said Tsunade.

"I still remember what Kyuubi told me..." said Tsunade as she remembered it passively.

"You...TALKED to the Kyuubi?!" exclaimed Hiashi.

"Yes... He was actually quite polite and well mannered... He said that by the end of the month, there would be at least 4 jinkurichi in this village..." said Tsunade.

Everyone gasped, including Kakashi this time, and it was for obvious reasons.

"Four?!" exclaimed Kakashi.

"For god sake!" exclaimed Jaraiya.

"Jaraiya? When did you get here?" asked Shizune.

"Just in time for Hiashi to scowl my name..." said Jaraiya as he walked up to Tsunade's desk.

"Tsunade, let me and Yamato go too... you know... just in case." hinted Jaraiya.

"Alright, request accepted."said Tsunade.

"So, you are letting the Konoha 11 go to Raigakure?" asked Kakashi.

"Yes, I will allow them to go." said Tsunade.

"(Phew) That's a relief, because we just got back." said Kakashi.

"WHAAAAAT?!" exclaimed Tsunade incredulously.

"Yeah, the mission is complete, they are all back in Konoha now." said Kakashi.

"..."

"Yeah thanks for letting me go bye!" said Jaraiya quickly.

He and Yamato then quickly ran to the window and jumped out.

"You mean, without my permission, you rounded up the Konoha 11, and took them to Raigakure, the most dangerous city in the land of Lightning?" asked Tsunade menacingly.

"Yep..." started Kakashi.

(Crack!)(Squish!)(Splatter!)

"OH! Oh my god!..." shouted Jaraiya.

Shizune hurried over to the window.

"Oh my god, are you guys alright?" asked Shizune.

"Yeah... We just landed in a fruit cart..."shouted Yamato back to Shizune.

"..."

"I think I have melon in my underpants..." said Jaraiya.

"..."

"Anyway, you were saying?" asked Tsunade angrily as she rubbed her forehead.

"Right as I was saying, Yep, and Naruto even managed to bring back Kiba, as well as an alliance with the Land of Lightning." said Kakashi with a smile.

"What?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Yeah, it turns out that Naruto became friends with the fourth Raikage, and earned their allegiance by claiming that he was the sixth Hokage." said Kakashi.

"Do you mean to say that Hinata is back?" interrupted Hiashi suddenly.

"Yes, her and the others are at the Konoha hospital..." said Kakashi.

"I must go." said Hiashi.

Hiashi left without another word, and Tsunade was still pissed at Kakashi for going behind her back.

"...(deep menacing breathing)..."

"Tsunade? Are you okay?" asked Shizune.

"Hoooospitaaaaalllll??" asked Tsunade quite menacingly.

"Yes, Everyone is fine, except for Naruto, he was mortally wounded." said Kakashi.

(Death glare)

"But now is not the time to see him, you have other business to attend to first, and you can wait until later to yell at me too, because I have important things that need doing as well." said Kakashi.

Tsunade calmed down, and put her hands on her head.

"Very well." said Tsunade with a huge sigh.

"Now Shizune, you have your tasks and duties to perform... you are dismissed." said Tsunade.

"Hai! Hokage-sama." said Shizune.

Shizune left the room in a blur, leaving Kakashi alone with Tsunade.

"Tsunade, I need to talk to you about the Kamizuru clan." said Kakashi.

"(sigh) I really don't want to take in any more information... I feel like my head is going to explode..." said Tsunade as she rubbed her head in exasperation.

"Whether you want this or not, Shino is part of the Aburame clan, the clan that nearly wiped out the Kamizuru clan all those years ago." said Kakashi.

"(sigh) Yeah, so?" asked Tsunade as she repeatedly hit her head against her desk.

"So, the Kamizuru clan is still kicking, and was rumored to be in Raigakure." said Kakashi.

"(sigh) Holy crap..." said Tsunade as she continued to hit her head harder against the table.

"Yeah, Naruto took out every last one of them, and they are currently being held in our underground jail facility." said Kakashi.

"Good, now is that all, or will your next information give me a headache?" asked Tsunade tiredly.

"I promise I will try not to give you a headache." said Kakashi with a smile.

"Right... Okay Itachi, Kisame, you can come out now." said Tsunade as she took out a bottle of Sak'e and took a swig.

Suddenly, Itachi and Kisame flew out from underneath her desk, and morphed back to their normal selves.

"Not to be perverted or anything, but you should wear baggier pants..." said Kisame seriously.

"..."

"(sigh) Ignoring that, how is the shadow?" asked Tsunade in secret code.

"Fairing well, he has 3, and knows 2." said Itachi.

"Meaning the Akatsuki leader has 3 bijuu, and knows where two are?" asked Tsunade.

"Right." said Kisame.

"How do you think the fox is fairing?" asked Itachi.

"Naruto? For now, he is unstable, we need to find a ballast for him... what we are going to use... I haven't a clue..." said Tsunade.

"...What of the snake?" asked Tsunade.

"As far as the blood clouds know, crushing a leaf is out of his reach until another serpent is found." said Itachi.

"So the Akatsuki knows that Orochimaru needs more power to crush Konoha... right?" asked Tsunade

"Correct again." said Kakashi.

"Hmm... and what of the blood clouds?" asked Tsunade.

"The shark and weasel are incognito, and they are far from reaching their sunrise." said Itachi.

"So you and Kisame are far from putting an end to the Akatsuki?" asked Tsunade.

"Once again, correct." said Kisame.

"(sigh)"

Tsunade sighed as she took another drink.

"Does Sasuke know about... the truth?" asked Tsunade.

"The raven is out of this raven's reach, even if I were to sneak into Orochimaru's lair." said Itachi.

"Actually, we have your brother in captivity, he has lost his memories, and does not remember anything from the past 3 years." said Tsunade.

"..."

"...I... I see..." said Itachi, whose demeanor immediately changed to sad and thoughtful.

"When Shadow had us wired, and we were tracking Naruto like we were supposed to, then someone said something about memory..." said Itachi as he thought back.

"Hm. Most likely." said Tsunade as she started to take a rather long swig of Sak'e.

"Heh, yeah, that was probably the most laughing I have ever done during a mission! At one point, the Fox boy jumped on top of the Hyuuga girl, and it sounded like they were having sex!" exclaimed Kisame with a laugh, but Tsunade didn't find it so funny.

"Blah gah! Perpfhickle...(sputter)(sputter)(chokes)(pant)(pant)(catches breath) HE DID WHAT!?" shouted Tsunade with giant angry eyes.

"He jumped her! It was so funny! The sounds she was making woke up everybody!" exclaimed Kisame as he continued to laugh.

Tsunade was about to blow a fuse.

"I'm going to strangle the living criminy..." whispered Tsunade menacingly as her face turned red from rage.

"I don't care If he is mortally wounded, I'll fix him up, and then... I'll frigging kill him!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Itachi realized her anger, and interjected.

"It actually turned out that Naruto was just massaging her back, and that it must have felt really good for her, because...um..." said Itachi.

"To be frank, it sounded like an orgasm." said Kisame.

"..."

"But he really meant well, he just wanted to make her feel better." said Kakashi quickly.

Tsunade calmed back down and leaned back into her chair.

"(sigh) That's a relief..." said Tsunade as she emptied the bottle.

"...You should be nicer to Naruto, especially in his condition." said Kakashi.

"Okay! Stop lecturing me..." said Tsunade as she turned and looked at Itachi.

"So...have you visited Mrs. weasel yet?" asked Tsunade deviously.

Itachi gave her a surprised look.

"I still... I need more time... to return to the weasel's den." said Itachi.

"..."

"Can't work up the nerve eh?" asked Kisame.

There was an awkward silence with Itachi looking at the ground, it lasted for only a few second before Itachi suddenly turned to Tsunade.

"Why doesn't the fox know?" asked Itachi.

Tsunade looked surprised, but then looked kind of sad.

"I wanted to postpone it for a bit... I don't want to cause Naruto any more pain." said Tsunade sadly.

"Really? A second ago you were going to kill him..." mumbled Kisame.

Kisame saw an angry look from Tsunade, and immediately slid behind Itachi.

_'Oh yeah, big ferocious shark man here...'_ thought Itachi tiredly.

"(sigh) Is it true that he knows not of the weasel's intentions, nor the ones of the Slug?" interjected Kakashi.

"The fox is clever, as I said before, he will find out eventually..." hinted Itachi.

"Okay! That is enough! Lets stop using these code names! It's driving me insane!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Fine... I bet your just mad that your code name is slug..." said Kisame.

"(sigh) Again, I'm ignoring that..." said Tsunade as she stubbornly closed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"So, it is only a matter of time before the Akatsuki leader finds out where the Jinkurichi are." said Kisame.

"Yes, and it will be even easier for him if at least four of them will be in Konoha by the end of this month alone." stated Itachi.

"True, but there are other matters at hand, Kakashi, you are to gather with the Konoha 11, and relay this information to them, it may become useful in helping them. And... I just want you to know that I think it was a bad decision on my part to have sent Shino on this mission." said Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama..." said Kakashi in surprise.

"Yeah, I feel as though I gave Shino a death warrant on that mission, as well as Naruto if they had ran into their Bijuu..." said Tsunade.

"You mean...the famous six tail, Raijuu?" asked Kakashi.

"No, Raijuu has been lost to the Akatsuki." said Kisame.

"He's right, I meant the five tail Bijuu." said Tsunade.

"The beast that is said to have mastered all five of the elements? One element for every tail?" asked Itachi curiously.

"That is correct, it is rumoured to be in connection with the land of lightning, just as Raijuu was... before he was taken..." said Tsunade.

"Okay, so the one, four, and six tailed Bijuus have all been taken or lost by the Akatsuki, being Shukaku, Sokou, and Raijuu." said Kisame.

"And The Akatsuki organization knows the locations of two other Bijuu, these being the eight and nine tails." said Itachi.

"(gasp) Damn, so they do know where Naruto is..." said Tsunade.

"Regrettably yes, we have been forced to keep him under heavy surveillance, while we ourselves are kept under surveillance by our leader. Although, we are safe here in Konoha because he drops surveillance around areas with any skilled ninja, because most ninja can usually sense the surveillance jutsu he uses." said Itachi.

"But what of the eight-tailed Bijuu, who is that?" asked Kakashi curiously.

"Yeah! I thought that Hiashi said that the eight-tailed Bijuu died when Yamato no Orochi sealed away the Kyuubi!" said Tsunade.

"Yes, but what most people don't know, is that when a Jinkurichi has offspring, the Bijuu is able to transfer itself to the son or daughter." said Itachi.

"..."

"Isn't it obvious? The eight-tailed Snake bijuu? The only living descendant of Yamato no Orochi?" asked Kisame as though it were obvious.

"(gasp) Orochimaru!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Yes, we know the location of his little fort, but he is far too powerful to approach... now that he has tapped into the Bijuu's power." said Kisame.

"It all makes so much sense now..." said Kakashi.

"Yes, so that's 1, 4, and 6 tails down, 8 and 9 known, right? So what about the 2, 3, 5, and 7 tails?" asked Tsunade

"The Akatsuki does not know any of those, although ironically, me and Itachi do..." said Kisame with a toothy smile.

"You... you do?" asked Tsunade incredulously.

"Yes, first off, we all now know that Hinata Hyuuga is the 2 tail, and you have told us that the 5 tail resides in Raigakure, so that means that you two know the 3 tail and 7 tails... Am I right?" asked Kakashi.

"Yes, correct, we know that they are both... spies." said Kisame dramatically.

"Spies?" asked Tsunade.

"Yes, the two Bijuu are in league with each other, believe it or not, as well as a third and fourth spy, in a mostly secret organization." said Itachi.

"..."

"Enough of the suspense, what organization? Who are the Jinkurichi?" asked Tsunade.

"I'll give you a hint, they are both in Konoha, right this very second..." said Kisame with a smile.

"In... in Konoha?! Right now?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Yes, and the organization? Is the Akatsuki of course." said Itachi.

Everyone gasped and looked at the two with suspicion and alarm.

"Don't be alarmed..." said Itachi.

"The Bijuu Kaku- the seven tail, and the Bijuu Isonade- the three tail, are in this very village, in fact, they are in this very room, this very second." said Kisame with a fiendish smile.

"Meet the Jinkurichi... Kisame." said Itachi with a smile.

"Yo." said Kisame with a wave of his hand.

Everyone gasped and looked at Kisame incredulously.

"Heh, wow, it's all so obvious now..." said Kakashi.

"How... how so?" asked Tsunade who was still shocked.

"Well, Isonade is a legendary three-tailed SHARK...so that explains Kisame's shark-like appearance." said Kakashi.

"Bingo." said Kisame with a smile.

"..."

"And what of the other Jinkurichi? You said that he is in this very room!" exclaimed Tsunade as she looked around.

"Oh! Right! Of course! How rude of me! Allow me to introduce the Host of the seven tailed badger, the one Bijuu who was said to be master of the earth and clay." said Itachi as he pulled out a small doll.

Everyone looked at the small white colored doll strangely, but then, Itachi suddenly dropped it and it splattered all over the floor.

"..."

"What did you do that for?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Just give him a sec." said Kisame.

Suddenly the white liquidy substance started to take shape. It spiraled upward, then outward, forming the shape of a man. The clay finally finished forming a shape, and was beginning to gain color, clothes, and hair. Finally the transformation was complete.

"(gasp) Ino!?" exclaimed Tsunade.

"No! I am known as... Deidara! Un." said the C4 specialist standing before them.

Deidara had the exact hair as Ino, but he had a standard Akatsuki cloak on.

"Deidara?" asked Tsunade.

"But your the one who tried to kill Gaara!" exclaimed Kakashi.

"No no. I was only trying to make the fight look realistic, and Gaara took it a little too seriously, and took off my clone's arm. Un." said Deidara.

"But, what about when you took Gaara's body away from us, and tried to kill us?" asked Kakashi suspiciously.

"No, again, no! I lured you away from Master Sasori so that he could knock Sakura, and the old lady unconscious, but Sakura ended up killing him. Un." said Deidara.

"Sasori was another spy, and he was also a Jinkurichi, the four tailed Bijuu." said Kisame.

"After Sakura beat Sasori, the Akatsuki took the power of the Bijuu from what was left in his doll. Un. " said Deidara.

"So, we still have four spies including us and another, but we would rather not tell you his name for numerous reasons" said Kisame.

"Although that is very suspicious, I guess we can wait until later to hear his name, but we still need to tell the Konoha 11, including Naruto, that you guys are on our side... the hardest person to tell will probably be Sasuke." said Tsunade.

Everyone looked at Itachi and he was staring passively at the floor.

"Brother... you will know the truth..." said Itachi dramatically.

"Don't worry Itachi, I'm sure everything will be just fine." assured Kisame.

"Yeah, and by the way, I think you have some of me on your foot... Un." said Deidara.

"(sigh) Sasuke..." said Itachi wearily.

--

At the Konoha Hospital, room 236, Naruto was laying on his hospital bed, hooked up to I.V., a life support system, and one Hinata Hyuuga to boot.

"You have to let go of him some time..." said Ino.

Hinata was on top of Naruto, hugging him, and not letting him go.

Hinata did not respond, she just kept her eyes closed, and let her tears pour out.

"Wha... What if N-Naruto never recovers from this, what i-if he has to give up his n-ninja career? It w-would all be m-my fault!" choked Hinata through her tears as she hugged Naruto tighter.

All of the Konoha 11 were squished into the room, and even Sai was there.

"You know I read in a book once, that this emotion can be caused by..." said Sai.

(Clank!)

Sakura hit Sai over the head with her kunai's handle.

"She doesn't need you, or anybody else preaching her right now, so just leave her be." said Sakura.

Just then, Hiashi came running in the room.

"Hinata!" exclaimed Hiashi as he ran into the room.

"Oh my freaking lord..." muttered Sakura.

Hinata did not make any movements, but kept a firm grip on Naruto.

_'(gasp) No! Not father! Why did he have to come here? Why him?'_ thought Hinata.

"Hinata, what are you doing here... with HIM?!" asked Hiashi rudely.

Hinata did not say a word, and tried to ignore the Hyuuga leader.

"Hinata! Your father is speaking to you!" commanded Hiashi.

"Hiashi! Your daughter is speaking to you! Leave me be!" shouted Hinata.

(collective gasp)

_'Wow, I cannot believe that I just said that!'_ thought Hinata.

"Wow, I cannot believe that you just said that..." said Neji.

"I can." said Ten Ten with half-open non-surprised eyes.

Hiashi looked angry for a second, but that went away quickly.

"Hinata, you need to return home." said Hiashi calmly.

"I don't NEED to do anything right now! Just leave me alone!" complained Hinata.

"Hinata, I'm not giving you an option, you HAVE to come home." said Hiashi.

Hiashi walked forward and got closer to the bed.

"If you try to separate me from Naruto, you will find my foot in a very inappropriate place, and I'M not giving YOU any other option!" argued Hinata angrily.

Hiashi looked appalled, everyone looked surprised, and Sai was scribbling down notes.

Hiashi was completely surprised that his daughter had talked to him in such a manner.

"Miss Hinata Hyuuga! You are coming with me this instant!" shouted Hiashi.

Hiashi then reached over and grabbed Hinata's foot.

Hinata responded by gripping onto Naruto even harder, and kicking Hiashi in the gut.

Hiashi stepped back and held his gut in pain.

_'She... hit three of my Tenketsu... though her foot?!'_ thought Hiashi.

Hiashi regained his composure, and glared at Hinata angrily.

_'Amazing, to think that she has gotten this good...'_ thought Hiashi.

"Fine, do what you wish, but you are not welcome in the Hyuuga compound until you relearn your manners!" exclaimed Hiashi as he stormed out of the room.

"..."

They all waited until they were sure he was gone.

"..."

(Exuberant applaud and clapping)

"Whoo! Hinata!" exclaimed Kiba.

"Way to go!" exclaimed Ino.

"That's showing that uptight bastard!" exclaimed the nurse.

Everyone looked at the nurse in surprise.

"What? I hate that guy..." said the nurse as she left the room.

"Heh, way to stick up for yourself Hinata!" said Kurenai.

"Th-thank you." said Hinata happily.

"So Hinata, are you going to go back to your home and apologize?" asked Sakura.

"No, I r-refuse to apologize to him, I've done n-nothing that he d-didn't already deserve." said Hinata as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"It just h-hurts me that my own f-father t-t-treats me with such dishonor and d-disrespect." said Hinata sadly.

"Is... Is there anything that we can do for you?" asked Ino.

"Yes, just leave me with Naruto. I... I need t-to think." said Hinata as she went back to hugging him.

"(sigh) I wish I could have someone like that... To hug and be comfortable with." said Sakura sadly.

"What am I then, canned potatoes?" muttered Sasuke.

"..."

Sasuke thought for a second.

"Who cans potatoes anyway?" asked Sasuke a little too loud.

Everyone looked at him like he was on crack.

"Did Sasuke just talk?" asked Sakura happily.

_'Maybe he is comfortable enough to talk to me now!'_ thought Sakura hopefully.

Sasuke then turned around and walked out of the room.

_'Of course, I wouldn't deserve her anyway.'_ thought Sasuke sadly.

"(sad sigh) You might as well, visiting time is probably over anyway." said Sakura.

"Alright Hinata, were all going to leave now, so be sure to let us all know how you are doing later." said Kurenai.

"Yeah, I have to go attend to Houkou, she is staying at my house, just so you know." said Kiba as he waved goodbye.

Everybody filed out of the room, except for Hinata, Naruto and the nurse.

"Miss, visiting time is over, you have to leave now." said the nurse.

(Glare. Of. Death.)

"..."

"N-nevermind!!" exclaimed the nurse.

The nurse quickly left the room, and stumbled into the hall.

"Did you check this room for people?" asked another nurse.

"N-no! I mean, Yes! And there's nobody in there!" exclaimed the nurse in fear.

"Are you sure?" asked the other nurse skeptically.

"YES! Perfectly sure!" exclaimed the nurse quickly.

The nurse then started to shove the other nurse quickly down the hall.

"No time to lose! Better get checking out!" said the nurse.

"But-b-but I..." complained the other nurse as their voices faded down the hall.

"..."

"(sad sigh) Naruto..." whispered Hinata.

Hinata listened to the silence in the room, aside from the sounds of his life-support system.

(Beep... Beep... Beep...)

"I-if he never recovers... I... I will never forgive myself..." said Hinata sadly as more tears appeared in her eyes.

(Beep... Beep... Beep...)

"Wh-what i-if he d-d-dies?! I... I never would have gotten the chance to tell h-him how m-much... how much I... cared for him..."

(Beep.. Beep.. Beep.. Beep.. Beep..) (slightly speeds up)

"How much I respected him..."

"How much I longed for him, how much... I...I..."

(Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep)(speeds up again)

"Oh Naruto..." whispered Hinata sadly as she hugged Naruto even harder.

(BeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeepBeep)(Really fast heart rate)

"Hin...Hinata..." whispered Naruto.

"(gasp) N-Naruto?!" exclaimed Hinata.

"You're alright!!" exclaimed Hinata joyously as she hugged him even harder than before.

As Hinata hugged him, tears of joy poured out of her eyes.

"I... I... I thought that I m-might l-lose you!" exclaimed Hinata.

_'Hinata...'_ thought Naruto as he blushed.

"I-I'm so sorry Naruto! This w-was all m-my fault!" exclaimed Hinata.

There was a silence and Naruto was contemplating everything he had just heard her say.

"..."

"It's okay Hinata, don't blame yourself, It was my decision to jump in front of you, not yours." said Naruto as he looked at the wall to his right.

"Besides... now... you know how I felt, when you weren't breathing in the Raikage's office, or when you were taken hostage..." said Naruto.

Hinata giggled softly and shortly, and looked into Naruto's eyes with a sad look.

"I... don't think we both feel the same way..." said Hinata.

_'He doesn't feel the same way about me, that I feel about him...'_ thought Hinata sadly as she held both hands to her heart.

Naruto had no idea how she felt, so he didn't know what to say to that.

"I'm glad that I know you care." said Naruto with a smile.

There was another silence, and Naruto was barely awake, and it was hard to stay awake with Hinata's warmth on him.

_'Why doesn't he look at me? Does he... hate me?'_ thought Hinata sadly.

"Listen Hinata, I'm very glad and all that you stayed here with me, but my body is trying to recover, and I'm barely awake." said Naruto with regret clearly in his voice.

"..."

"It very much pains me to say this, but, could you get off of me? I really want to talk to you and all, but it's hard to talk when you are half-asleep... and it's hard to sleep when a girl is on top of you with nothing on her torso but a bra..." said Naruto with a blush.

Hinata had not changed since the incident, and forgot to put her shirt back on.

"Meep!" squeaked Hinata.

Hinata covered herself up with her arms, and struggled to quickly find her clothes, but in the process, she lost her balance, and fell onto the floor.

(thud)

"..."

"...Owwie..." whimpered Hinata.

"Are you okay?" asked Naruto.

"I'm f-fine." said Hinata quickly.

Hinata realized that her clothes were not in the hospital room, and she didn't know where they were, so Hinata stood up and continued to cover herself with her arms.

"Don't worry, I didn't look... I didn't see anything." said Naruto.

Hinata quickly looked up from her feet to see that Naruto was still respectively looking at the wall to his right instead of at her.

_'Oh, he was just being respectful, he doesn't hate me...'_ thought Hinata happily.

There was a awkward silence, Hinata was entirely embarrassed, and Naruto felt uncomfortable with Hinata being so inappropriately dressed.

"Umm... Hinata, it is late, and you look tired, you should probably head on home, I don't want you to get into trouble with your father..." said Naruto worriedly.

"D-don't worry about him, he w-will not care..." said Hinata sadly.

Hinata was embarrassed that she lacked any decent clothes, and was trying to maintain eye contact with her feet.

_'Truthfully, I do not want Hinata to leave... but at the same time, I want her to get some rest...'_ thought Naruto tiredly.

_'Maybe now is a good time to tell him how I feel... He must have heard most of what I said, and what I almost said, so there is really nothing for me to lose at this point... But first I have to know how much he heard...'_ thought Hinata.

"(deep breath) Naruto..." began Hinata bravely.

She then looked up to Naruto to see that he was asleep, and looked entirely exhausted.

_'(Large sigh) Oh well...(yaaaaawns...) I'd better get to sleep to.'_ thought Hinata.

She looked around the room and realized that there was only one place to sleep...

Naruto was peacefully sleeping in the Hospital bed, and Hinata realized that she couldn't go home, or sleep in a chair or on the floor... So she only had one option.

"(deep breath) Ok-kay... I'll just h-have to..." said Hinata.

Hinata walked over to the bed, and looked at Naruto's handsome sleeping form.

When the doctors had treated his wound, they took off his jacket and shirt, and didn't bother to put them back on.

"..."

"Yeah, that's n-not going to make it easier..." whispered Hinata with a blush.

Hinata then reached down, and pulled off the covers part way.

"Okay, I've gotten this far, there's no turning back now..." whispered Hinata.

Hinata then bravely slid one of her legs under the blanket, then quickly slid the rest of herself underneath the covers.

_'Oh my god! I did it!'_ thought Hinata excitedly.

Hinata then carefully pulled the covers over them and she tried to get herself comfortable.

But the only thing Hinata could do, was lay there as stiff as a board, with her entire body red from embarrassment and her heart pounding from Naruto's closeness.

"..."

"I don't think I'll ever get comfortable enough to sleep..." whispered Hinata as she grew very red.

"..."

"He has no shirt on, and I only have a bra on..." whispered Hinata as she felt her face flushing deeper.

Just then, Naruto rolled over and embraced Hinata.

"Meep!" squeaked Hinata as her whole body practically glowed neon red.

"..."

Hinata held her breath and tightened all of her muscles in reaction to Naruto's sudden touch.

"..."

She finally released her held breath, and relaxed just a little bit.

"(pant)(pant)Th-this is-isn't s-so b-bad..." thought Hinata nervously.

Just then, Naruto snuggled up to Hinata in the closest way possible, her body's curves aligning with his.

_'(pant) Oh my god... (pant) Hhhoh my god...' _thought Hinata as she felt Naruto closer to her then anyone had ever been before.

Naruto then linked his feet around hers, making impossible for her to get away.

Naruto wrapped his arms around her back, and lower back, and pulled her in close.

Hinata probably couldn't have been redder.

"Mmmm... Hinata-chan..." whispered Naruto in his sleep.

It was just too much.

She felt herself losing consciousness, as everything went black.

--

The next morning at the Hyuuga manor, Hiashi was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, mowing his mind over what had happened yesterday night.

"Why would she act in such a manner? Why would she talk to me in that way?" asked Hiashi to himself.

"Sometimes a female can be defensive about a male, even if they are not related." suggested Sai.

"Why was she laying over HIM?" asked Hiashi again.

"I read that sometimes, a female may be overprotective for a male if they are important enough to her." said Sai again.

"..."

"Who ARE you?!" exclaimed Hiashi.

"Sai." said Sai.

"What are you doing in my home?!" asked Hiashi.

"Nothing as of now..." said Sai.

"Well then get out!" exclaimed Hiashi.

"Okay." said Sai.

Sai left through the front door, and just as he did, Neji came through.

"Hello Hiashi-sama." said Neji with a bow.

"And where have you been? Why did it take you so long to get back from the hospital, that you are arriving just now?" asked Hiashi suspiciously.

"I apologize Hiashi-sama, Ten Ten needed company, she is having a hard time right now with her family." lied Neji.

"I see... But why did you stay overnight?" asked Hiashi suspiciously.

"By the time I got Ten Ten to calm down, she had already fallen asleep, and I was tired as well, so I slept on the couch." lied Neji again.

"Okay then, I am satisfied." said Hiashi.

_'What he doesn't know, won't kill him, Ten Ten fell asleep on the same couch...'_ thought Neji with a slight blush.

"So Hiashi-sama, what is troubling you?" asked Neji to change the subject.

"Is it that obvious?... (sigh) It is Hinata, and how she acted at the Hospital, I don't know why she acted the way she did..." said Hiashi.

"I know why." said Neji.

"...Enlighten me." said Hiashi skeptically.

"Well, Hinata has it in her head that it was her fault that Naruto-sama was hurt, and she feels awful about it. So she wants to stay with him until she knows he is better, and can apologize." said Neji.

"... I... I think I see." said Hiashi.

"She feels that if Naruto-sama never recovers, then she will never forgive herself." said Neji.

"Why... do you refer to that boy as... sama?" asked Hiashi.

"Why? That's a silly thing to ask, why do I refer to YOU as sama, Hiashi sama?" asked Neji.

"You are my superior, someone I respect." answered Neji.

"And Naruto... Is your superior?" asked Hiashi skeptically.

"Hai. He has recently been made an all-time leader for any group missions he partakes in." said Neji.

"What? That powerless brat? A leader?" asked Hiashi.

"Without the Kyuubi helping him, he is nothing, a nobody, how could Tsunade have made him a leader?!" asked Hiashi incredulously.

"Naruto is strong, without the Kyuubi, you just haven't seen it yet." said Neji.

Hiashi stood silently as Neji walked over to the the kitchen's exit door.

"Do you have the tape I requested?" asked Hiashi suddenly.

Neji did not say anything, but quietly stood there.

"Do not think that I haven't noticed, you have been dodging me ever since you came back from that mission." said Hiashi.

"..."

"Do not deny it, I told you before you left for that mission, that you were to tape record anything involving Hinata, and it is obvious that you don't want me to hear the recording's contents." said Hiashi.

"I don't... want Hinata-sama to get into trouble over something that is so... personal." said Neji.

"I shall decide that." said Hiashi as he held out his hand.

Neji took the tape recorder from his pocket, and threw it into Hiashi's hand harshly.

"Just so you know, Naruto is only in the hospital because he tried to sacrifice himself so that Hinata could live." said Neji.

Hiashi gasped quietly, and looked at Neji to see if he was lying.

"If you have any questions about what is on that tape, I would go to Tsunade, she has gotten a full report of that mission, and can certainly tell you what is going on if you have any questions." said Neji.

Neij then left Hiashi to stare at the tape in his hand, a tape that most likely contained horrible evidence against his daughter.

"(sigh) I do not want to listen to Hinata's private conversations... but at the same time, I am her father, and I need to know these things." affirmed Hiashi.

Hiashi then reached for the play button.

--

Back in the Konoha hospital, Tsunade and Kakashi were waiting outside Naruto's room, deciding how they should tell him about the Bijuu and the Akatsuki.

"Should we be subtle about it? Or should we be like, Hey Naruto, Itachi didn't kill his clan, Orochimaru did. So if you don't mind, could you tell Sasuke while you're at it?" said Kakashi humorously.

"..."

"(sigh) This is going to be hard..." said Tsunade.

"Yeah, then we have to tell Hinata about her Bijuu as well." said Kakashi.

Tsunade moved bravely forward and opened the door.

"Yes, we'll have to find Hinata later, but right now OH MY GOD!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Naruto and Hinata were still cuddled up in the same bed, Naruto with no shirt, and Hinata with just a bra.

Both were hugging each other, and the covers had mostly been pushed off, so it showed alot more skin than Tsunade would have wanted to see.

"Wwwow..." said Kakashi.

Kakashi then took out a camera and took a picture.

"I'm definitely going to get that one mounted." joked Kakashi.

"Naruto!!" exclaimed Tsunade loudly.

Naruto stirred a bit and then let go of Hinata to sit up.

"Aaaahhh..." yawned Naruto.

Naruto looked at Tsunade's surprised and angry form through his sleepy eyes for a second, then laid back down and cuddled with Hinata.

"Mmmm... Five more minutes..." mumbled Naruto.

"..."

"N-Naruto! How could you take advantage of Hinata like that?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Mmmnn... Who?" mumbled Naruto.

Naruto then let go of Hinata and looked at her. He then finally realized who was half-naked in his bed.

Naruto sat there for a moment, and allowed himself to turn completely red.

"Nyah!!" exclaimed Naruto.

In surprise and realization, Naruto flipped off of the bed away from Hinata and landed hard on the floor, unplugging the I.V. and Life support. But at the same time, Hinata did not let go of Naruto, and flew off of the bed with him. She landed on top of him, and hit her head hard on top of his.

"Owww..." mumbled Hinata as she rubbed her head.

Hinata then tried to get herself up using just her arms, but then she looked down and let her vision focus.

_'Yellow? Yellow hair? Blue eyes?'_ thought Hinata as her vision finally cleared.

By the time Hinata realized who she was on, and where she was, it was too late, and something horrible happened.

Hinata's bra popped off.

"Meep!" squeaked Hinata.

Hinata had nowhere to hide, and nothing to cover herself with, so she did the only thing she could do to cover herself.

Hinata quickly threw herself down onto Naruto, and put her arms in front of herself so that Naruto couldn't see her uncovered.

Naruto was laying there on the floor, and had his eyes closed in pain from the drop until Hinata threw herself on him.

Naruto held himself there in embarrassment, and stared at the beautiful girl on top of him.

"Hin... Hinata!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto realized that she needed covering, do he tried to find something.

Naruto quickly looked around, and saw his jacket laying on a chair across the room.

"Ah!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto then squirmed his tail out from underneath them, and tried to reach for it, but his tail was barely not long enough to reach. Naruto then quickly used his chakra to envelope his tail in a cloak, and used it as an extension to grab his coat. He picked it up, and placed it over Hinata. Naruto finally took the coat in his hands, and tried to put it on the rest of the way.

Hinata was completely red, and shocked, but she complied and slid it underneath her, and zipped it up.

Hinata was still blushing immensely, but managed to get up from Naruto.

She quickly looked away from him in embarressment, and felt very uncomfortable.

Naruto struggled to get up, and eventually did, he slowly walked over to Hinata and handed her something.

"H-here..." stuttered Naruto.

Naruto wasn't looking at Hinata, but was looking at Kakashi instead. Naruto's face was also blushed, and he kept his hand held out.

Hinata finally got the courage to see what he was handing her, and saw that it was her Lavender bra.

Hinata quickly snatched it, and turned away from Naruto with a glowing red face. She put her hands underneath Naruto's jacket and began to put it back on.

"Well then, maybe this was a bad time..." said Kakashi.

Suddenly Hiashi burst through the door.

"Hinata, what is the meaning of this recor..." shouted Hiashi.

Hiashi stopped to see Hinata reaching under Naruto's jacket to put on her bra, and then saw a half-nude Naruto standing next to her.

"..."

"Ding." finished Kakashi for Hiashi.

"Okay maybe this was the WORST time..." said Tsunade with a surprised face.

_'(sigh) Naruto is going to be hunted down and murdered by Hiashi... But I can't say that I'm surprised... To be hunted... that is now the fate, of all Jinkurichi...'_ thought Tsunade nostalgically.

--

END OF CHAPTER

3 Bijuus down, 6 to go!

Will the known Jinkurichi be told?

What will become of Naruto, Hinata, Houkou, or Sasuke?

Keep reading and REVIEWING to find out!

Next chapter: The Truth


	25. The Truth

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

I'm sorry if the last few chapters have been so confusing to some of you, but I'm trying as hard as I can to make it understandable.

_**Chapter 25:**_

**_The Truth:_**

Hiashi stood in shock at the hospital door, and Hinata looked just as shocked as Naruto or Tsunade.

Kakashi was the only thing standing in between Naruto and Hiashi. Kakashi quickly realized this and readied himself to defend Naruto.

"AND WHAT IS THIS?!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Hinata quickly moved behind Tsunade and covered herself by instinct, even though she had Naruto's jacket on.

"HINATA! Why would you do this, and with HIM of all people?!" exclaimed Hiashi.

"Now now Hiashi, I know what you think it looks like, I know what I think it looks like, and I know what this picture misleadingly makes it seem like..." said Kakashi.

Kakashi then held up the picture he had taken, showing Hinata in bed with Naruto.

Hiashi's face turned red from anger.

"But, I'm sure that we could be jumping to conclusions here..." assured Kakashi.

"YOU INSIGNIFICANT LITTLE BASTARD! I'LL RIP OFF YOUR MANHOOD AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROAT!!" shouted Hiashi.

"You'll rip off what now?" mumbled Naruto tiredly as he swayed back and forth.

Hiashi then pulled out a kunai, and ran across the room at Naruto, but Naruto didn't even make the slightest move, aside from the swaying.

Kakashi held up his Kunai, and stopped Hiashi in mid strike. Kakashi easily held the angry Hyuuga, and threw him backward.

Hiashi landed and immediately charged again, but was yet again stopped by the copy-cat ninja.

"Hiashi! Are you honestly expecting me to believe that an honorable Hyuuga like yourself, is going to attack a defenseless boy, who can barely even stand, because he tried to sacrifice himself to save your eldest daughter?" asked Kakashi with a skeptically held up eyebrow.

Hiashi stopped holding against Kakashi and immediately dropped his kunai.

"Fine... I will... praise the boy for his previous actions, but, this does not erase what he has just done!" said Hiashi angrily.

Everyone was suddenly distracted by a (Thud) sound coming from the end of the bed where Naruto had been standing.

"(gasp) Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

Naruto had fallen to the floor, and started coughing up blood.

To Hiashi's displeasure, Hinata ran over to him, and tried to help him up.

"...You know Hiashi... It hasn't occurred to me just now, but Naruto couldn't have done anything with your daughter." said Tsunade with a hand on her chin.

"And what makes you believe that?!" asked Hiashi incredulously.

"WHAT?! What do you mean WHAT?! Look at him!!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Naruto was barely standing, and Hinata was holding him up while he wiped the blood from his mouth.

Hiashi realized Naruto's condition, but his anger was merely postponed for a moment.

"I see what you mean... But look at this picture!!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Hiashi grabbed Kakashi's hand and showed Tsunade Kakashi's photo.

"I know, I was here when it was taken." said Tsunade.

"I can't believe that you stood here, and let this happen!!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Hiashi held up the picture, and threw it to the floor, Kakashi and all.

"Ow." said Kakashi as he stood back up. Kakashi saw the crazed look on Tsunade's face, and realized that this wasn't over yet.

"Let THIS happen?! WHAT happen?! Nothing has happened here!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Oh really?! Then what is THIS?!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Hiashi held up a tape recorder, and pressed play.

_'(gasp) What is that?'_ thought Hinata.

_'A tape recorder?'_ thought Kakashi

_'Oh god, that can't be what I think it is...'_ thought Tsunade worriedly.

At first, there was nothing on the recording but the wind blowing, and faint voices, but then there was a few brushing noises, and the volume went up, revealing the conversation indefinitely.

"Oh. O-Okay then." said Hinata nervously.

"Okay then." affirmed Naruto.

"Take off your shirt and lie down." said Naruto.

"Ex...Excuse m-me?!" asked Hinata incredulously.

"I need to be able to see your muscles, I know it's embarrassing, but I need you to take off your shirt." said Naruto.

Hinata blushed and looked away from Naruto. Naruto blushed as well, and Hiashi noticed this.

Hiashi gave Naruto a horrible look, and the tape recorder continued.

"I won't look. trust me." said Naruto.

There were sounds that sounded like brushing clothing, then a plopping noise, which must have been Hinata's clothing hitting the ground.

"O-ok-k-kay" stuttered Hinata nervously.

"(gasp!)" gasped Hinata.

There were sounds of rubbing skin.

"Oh!" gasped Hinata.

"You alright?" asked Naruto.

"P-please d-don't stop, it feels really g-good." stuttered Hinata.

(continuous moaning and rubbing sounds)

Hiashi's face was turning red, and he was clenching his fists.

Tsunade's face was turning red, and she had a hand over her face.

Kakashi's face was turning red, and he was scribbling in the back of his Icha Icha paradise book while stifling a laugh.

"Oh! Uhn! Uh!" gasped Hinata.

Hinata gasped loudly, and there were sounds of grass being ripped from the ground, as well as the sound of a body being moved back and forth on the ground.

"Uhn! Oh God! That's the knot!" gasped Hinata.

"Oh GOD! YES! YES!! YES!!" screamed Hinata.

"Um... Am I interrupting something?" asked Kakashi.

Hiashi looked angrily at Kakashi for a second, but the recording continued.

"Hinata!?" exclaimed Kurenai.

"I expected better from you!" shouted Kurenai.

"But..."said Hinata.

"How could you let him go so far?!" continued Kurenai.

"But we weren't..." said Naruto.

"You perverted pig!" shouted Kurenai.

(click)

Hiashi pressed pause on the tape recorder.

"..."

"Wow, that was way more graphic than you described earlier Kakashi..." said Tsunade.

Tsunade's face was slightly flushed, and looked shocked.

Hiashi marched right up to Kakashi, and made him back up until he was up against the wall beside Tsunade.

"You were there! You were THERE, and you let it happen!" exclaimed Hiashi.

"Now wait a minute Hiashi, I WAS there, but there wasn't really anything there that I should have been stopping." said Kakashi.

"WHAT?! You expect me to believe that?!" asked Hiashi incredulously.

"Well yes, Aside from me, I have 10 eye witnesses that would say the same." said Kakashi.

Hiashi looked as though he were going to throw a fit, but Kakashi stopped him.

"Hiashi, It is all a great misunderstanding, All Naruto was doing, was giving her a back-massage." said Kakashi.

"...Back massage?..." said Hiashi.

"Yes, Hinata had told Naruto before that she had been having troubles with her back, so Naruto tried to... help her." said Tsunade.

"..."

"Based on the recordings... I... guess that it makes since..." said Hiashi.

"Yeah, she did say, Yes, yes, that's the knot..." said Tsunade as she blushed a bit.

"I guess that it DOES make since... But it still doesn't explain what happened here last night!" exclaimed Hiashi.

"Well... You DID storm out of the room, saying that she wasn't welcome at home... So she probably stayed here for the night." said Kakashi.

"No, I said that if she apologized and acted well-mannered, that she could be accepted back." said Kakashi.

"So? She could have if she wanted to." said Hiashi.

"Yes. Exactly. IF she WANTED to. My guess is that she didn't like the way you always disrespect her, and she reacted violently when you tried to force her to come home. That must be it, other wise acting politely would not have been a problem since it's practically second-nature to her." said Kakashi.

"... Disrespected?..." mumbled Hiashi.

Hiashi seemed to be lost in thought or possibly memories for a moment.

"Well, none the less, but there were no available beds, and, knowing Naruto and his naive complexes that he has, he probably didn't think it was inappropriate to let Hinata share a bed with him." said Kakashi.

(realizing silence)

"That does seem like something Naruto would do..." said Tsunade.

"But what about Hinata?! She would know well enough that it would be inappropriate to share a bed with a man, especially at their age!" argued Hiashi.

"Hm. I suppose your right, well, why don't we just ask them to find out?" asked Kakashi.

They all paused for a second and realized something important.

"Where ARE they?..." asked Kakashi.

"..."

(silence)

They looked around the small room only for a second to realize that both Hinata and Naruto had left.

"grrrrNaaaaruuuutooooo!!" shouted Hiashi.

--

In Ichiraku's ramen shop, Sakura, Ten Ten, and Chouji all sat at the bar.

"You know Chouji, you would probably attract a female's eyes if you weren't so f..." said Sakura.

(Angry Glare)

"Fffulfilled! Fulfilled!" exclaimed Ten Ten quickly.

"Fulfilled?" asked Chouji.

Sakura and Ten ten looked at each other quickly, and Sakura kept it going.

"Yeah, you always give off this aura." said Sakura.

"Aura?" asked Chouji.

"Yeah, like... you don't need anyone, or anything else, aside from food." lied Sakura quickly.

"I... I see... I guess." said Chouji.

Chouji looked to be in thought, and Sakura looked guilty for saying something like that.

"Women want their man to need them, otherwise they feel insecure, do you get it Chouji?" asked Ten Ten.

"Yeah I said I see... Hinata! Naruto!" exclaimed Chouji.

Just then Hinata came in, and Naruto had one arm around her neck to help her carry him. Hinata came in and put him down on a stool, then sat next to him.

"Naruto?! You are supposed to be at the hospital recovering!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Yeah well, if I had stayed any longer, Hiashi would have done the opposite of recovering to me." said Naruto.

"Opposite?" asked Ten Ten.

"Yeah, wherever you consider -Shoving your manhood down your throat!- to be categorized..." said Naruto.

"...Naruto! What on earth did you do?!" exclaimed Sakura suspiciously and worriedly.

"Oh, he's all mad because Hinata stayed the night with me." said Naruto.

"Stayed the night?" asked Chouji.

"Oh yeah! Hinata had no place to go!" exclaimed Sakura.

Naruto looked at Hinata, and she hid her face behind a napkin dispenser.

"What? No place to go? Is that true Hinata?" asked Naruto.

Hinata blushed and nodded.

"You should have told me so!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Damn Hiashi jerk..." muttered Naruto.

Naruto then reached into his pants pocket, and pulled out a key.

"Here. If you ever need a place to crash, you can stay at my place for free." said Naruto.

"Na-Naruto..." whispered Hinata.

_'I... I can't accept that! I would only be a burden to Naruto-kun if I stayed at his house... Besides, I don't think I could handle actually LIVING with Naruto-kun...'_ thought Hinata as she blushed.

Naruto noticed that she wasn't accepting his offer, so, he opened up a pouch in his jacket, and slid the key in.

"Take it. It is perfectly alright. Any time you feel like you need someone to talk to, or someplace to get away, or sleep, just stay at my place." said Naruto.

"Naruto! That is so generous of you!" exclaimed Ichiraku.

"Yeah well, my place isn't exactly in the best condition right now, so I suppose it's even if she has to bare staying there." said Naruto with a smile.

"I-I'm sure that it will be l-lovely N-Naruto." stuttered Hinata nervously.

_'M-me s-s-stay with N-Naruto?!'_ thought Hinata even more nervously.

"Hey... Hinata, that's a nice jacket, it looks expensive!" exclaimed Ten Ten suddenly.

"Hey yeah! Wait... That jacket looks familiar..." said Sakura.

"It should, it's mine." said Naruto.

"Y-yours?" asked Ten Ten.

"Naruto... Why is Hinata wearing your jacket, when you don't have anything to wear at all?" asked Sakura suspiciously.

"Well, after I had slept with Hinata, and was rudely awakened by Tsunade in the morning, and then shortly after, Hiashi barged in and threatened me." said Naruto.

Ten Ten, Chouji, Sakura, Ayame, and Ichiraku all gasped, and Naruto looked at them strangely.

"What?" asked Naruto.

"You... YOU SLEPT WITH HINATA?!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Hm? Yeah, all night... Come to think of it, that was probably the best I have ever had..." said Naruto with a blush.

'I don't think that I've ever gotten better sleep...' thought Naruto as his blush deepened a bit.

The others stared at him with unbelieving faces, and then they looked at Hinata to see if it was true.

Hinata looked just as confused as Naruto, and nodded her head with a blush.

"Yeah, it w-was hard at first, I was used to b-being by myself, but after a while, it w-was kind of n-nice..." said Hinata as her face turned red.

_'I can still feel Naruto-kun's warmth...'_ thought Hinata as she fidgeted her fingers.

Sakura and Ten ten stared at her with their mouths agape. Ichiraku and Ayame both turned away awkwardly, and Chouji tried to change the subject as quickly a possible.

"T-Two waters please, one for me, and th-the other for Naruto." said Chouji awkwardly.

"Thanks Chouji." said Naruto.

Ichiraku poured two glasses full of water, he then gave one to Chouji and the other to Naruto.

When Ichiraku gave Naruto the water, he looked at him, then Hinata, and winked. Naruto did not know the meaning of this, but accepted the water anyways.

Naruto picked up the glass and started a nice long drink.

_'Aaah... I was really thirsty!'_ thought Naruto happily.

"Hinata! It's just too hard to believe!" exclaimed Ten Ten.

"Yeah! Who knew that you would be one to give up your virginity so easily..." said Sakura.

"Phsffffffff!!"

Naruto spit our his water and coughed up the rest.

"Wha-What?!" exclaimed Hinata over Naruto's coughs.

Hinata's face turned redder than usual, and she felt herself starting to sweat she was so nervous.

Naruto finally coughed up all of the water and caught his breath.

"She... I... We... I didn't... We didn't" stuttered Naruto.

"Th-there h-has b-been a m-m-m-misunderstanding! W-we..." stuttered Hinata embarrassingly.

Even saying or thinking the word WE had Hinata in a cold sweat. Hinata could not bare to even breath in Naruto's direction and found herself staring at her feet again.

"W-we didn't have sex!! We just slept in the same bed together!!" exclaimed Naruto.

"..."

"Oh...OH!..." realized Chouji.

Everyone looked relieved, and Hinata's blush lessened a bit.

"Oh! Oh Thank god!" exclaimed Sakura.

"..."

"And what is THAT supposed to mean?" asked Naruto with an offended tone.

Sakura pretended she was suddenly interested in Ichiraku's menu and didn't answer, and Ten Ten just looked away from him.

"Whatever... Misunderstanding or not, Hinata did not have the proper clothing when we woke up, so I gave it to her to use." said Naruto with a blush.

Naruto wasn't blushing as bad as Hinata, but he still felt extremely awkward sitting next to her.

_'Me... and Hinata?'_ thought Naruto.

Before Naruto could divulge himself any further into his thoughts, Naruto realized something.

Suddenly, Naruto stood up from his stool, and looked around.

"Naruto? What is it?" asked Sakura.

"There is something... amiss... Something... wrong... Something... is..." said Naruto.

Naruto looked about, and then stared off in the direction of the thick woods to the right of the Hokage monument.

"..."

"Naruto?" asked Hinata.

"It's nothing... Well, I guess I should get going." said Naruto.

Naruto stood up, and found pain in all of his limbs.

"Ack!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto kept himself on his feet, and cringed from the pain.

_'Why haven't I been healed yet?'_ thought Naruto.

_'Gah!... Kyuubi... Kyuubi!'_ exclaimed Naruto subconsciously.

At first there was no response, but then, a deep growl emanated from the depths of Kyuubi's cage.

**_"Hm... Kit? What is it?"_** asked Kyuubi.

_'Where have you been Kyuubi? I haven't talked to you for a while...' _said Naruto.

**_"Naruto, I have to tell you, there is something wrong."_** said Kyuubi.

_'Wrong?'_ asked Naruto.

**_"Yes, I have felt it ever since we went to Raigakure."_** said Kyuubi.

_'Does it have something to do with that Bijuu?'_ asked Naruto.

**_"Yes, and many more, I feel something is wrong only when a great amount of power comes together."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto had no idea where he was going with this, and the extreme amount of pain didn't help him listen either, but he really had no choice.

_'More Bijuu?'_ asked Naruto through the pain.

**_"Yes, there are many here... too many, and I still don't know how far you can go with my chakra, I'm just not sure if you can stop them if you have to fight."_** said Kyuubi.

_'Oh... I see.'_ said Naruto understandingly as he bit his hand.

**_"What bothers me, is I don't know how my powers are reacting with your chakra now that they are fused. Normally, a person's chakra is divided into two powers, the yin, and the yang, the evil and the good."_** explained Kyuubi.

_'I know that already. You use your yang chakra to heal me, and you give me your yin chakra to fight with.'_ said Naruto

_**"Right, when I still had all of the power, you could only go up to 4 tails, because at that point, my yinchakra would overcome my yang chakra, and the yin chakra would end up hurting you."**_ said Kyuubi.

_'Okay... I get it, but what about now?'_ asked Naruto as he gritted his teeth.

**_"Well, we will never know for sure until you try to summon at least 4 tails worth of my... no, your power."_** said Kyuubi.

**_"Until then, there is something that I have to tell you, it's about your kitsune illusions." _**said Kyuubi.

_'What about them? I have kept them shut off, in the end they can be quite troublesome.'_ said Naruto.

Naruto could still feel his arms turning into meatballs...

**_"(sigh) You can't just keep it turned off, you must use the power often at your age, you are a teenage kitsune, and at that age, you need to use up some of your kitsune illusionary powers that are stored within you, if you don't, it will effect you emotionally."_** said Kyuubi.

_'E...Emotionally?'_ asked Naruto.

**_"Yes, at your age, that kind of special illusionary chakra built up inside you, will leak into your developing hormones, it is a mating mechanism to ensure the numbers of a pack are kept up."_** said Kyuubi.

_'Oh. Wait! What!? That doesn't make since, how does it help in mating?'_ asked Naruto with a curious blush.

_**"Well, A normal male kitsune hunts almost constantly to feed the entire pack, and to hunt, a kitsune uses illusions. When a kitsune stops using illusions, he will become extremely understanding, and very thoughtful of his love life. In this way, if a male doesn't hunt, this mechanism ensures that he is at least doing something productive. But be warned, the kitsune chakra will affect you emotionally, and once it has done that, it will leak out and effect those around you just as emotionally, but it will only effect those whom you really... want..." **_said Kyuubi with a smirk.

Naruto did not know what he meant, and was an extreme amount of awkward pain, so Kyuubi kept up the conversation.

**_"Hey, I see that you slept with that foxy female, way to go."_** said Kyuubi with a smile.

Naruto blushed.

'Shut up, it was just between friends. She needed a place to sleep and I... did you just call Hinata foxy?' asked Naruto.

**_"Yeah."_** said Kyuubi.

"But Hinata-chan isn't..." said Naruto as he thought a bit about her.

**_"Well, if she isn't now, she will be very soon..."_** said Kyuubi with a huge smile.

_'What?'_ asked Naruto.

**_"Nothing... Never mind, now, I have to go, up until now, I've been concealing myself to keep my Bijuu presence hidden, so I need to hide again. Until the next time we talk, use some of the yin chakra to heal yourself, the using of it should come quite naturally to you."_** said Kyuubi.

_The Kyuubi disappeared into the depths of Naruto's mind without another word, leaving him to think about what he had just learned._

"Okay then." said Naruto.

Naruto held up his hands and formed the concentrate hand sign.

_'Kyuubi is no longer the one to heal me... I have to do it on my own from now on...'_ thought Naruto.

_'Yang... good... Concentrate on my damaged areas...' _thought Naruto.

"Naruto, are you okay?" asked Sakura.

Suddenly Naruto's stomach and back wounds started to steam.

"(gasp) What is happening?" asked Chouji.

Naruto's hole in his back and stomach started to shrink at a rapid rate as steam appeared to be leaking from the wounds. Naruto was replacing the cells in his body so quickly, that some of the cells drifted into the air, causing a steam-like appearance.

Naruto concentrated until the hole completely vanished, and he felt much better.

"(gasp) A-amazing!" exclaimed Hinata.

"There, I'll be fine now, don't worry about me, I'll be hiding." said Naruto.

"W-wait! J-just now... were you talking to... Kyuubi?" asked Hinata.

Naruto froze and looked at Hinata.

"Naruto can talk to the Kyuubi?!" asked Chouji.

"Yeah, I was." said Naruto, ignoring Chouji.

"Yeah you said something about Hinata." said Chouji.

"What... did HE say?" asked Sakura.

Sakura could still feel the raw power of the nine-tailed Bijuu.

"He said that he feels I should be cautious... and..." said Naruto as his face turned red.

"W-What?" asked Hinata nervously.

"He called you foxy." said Naruto quickly with a blush.

Naruto then disappeared in a flash.

"..."

"F-f-foxy?" said Hinata with a huge blush.

Sakura and Ten Ten both looked at each other, and Sakura quickly changed the subject.

"Wow, that healing jutsu, or whatever he was using, it even tops Tsunade's medical jutsu!" exclaimed Sakura.

Chouji and Ten Ten saw what she was trying to do, and helped her.

"Yeah, that's Naruto for you." agreed Chouji.

"He's always like that." said Ten Ten.

Hinata ignored them and stared at the spot where Naruto had just been standing.

"N-Naruto... It is all my fault that you are in trouble..." whispered Hinata worriedly.

_'If my father finds you...'_ thought Hinata worriedly.

--

In the thick woods near the Hokage monument, Naruto appeared near the middle of the thicket.

Before Naruto could do anything, he felt a presence approaching from the direction of Konoha.

"Tsunade." said Naruto.

Tsunade jumped down from the trees, and landed in front of Naruto.

"Naruto I..." started Tsunade.

Tsunade stopped when she saw Naruto, she noticed that he had been completely healed.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Naruto noticed that Tsunade noticed his healing, and firmly decided to put his foot down.

"Tsunade, never mind that, what do you want, and try to make it quick, Hiashi will have my head." said Naruto.

Naruto crossed his arms, and waited for Tsunade to talk.

Tsunade stopped and realized something about Naruto.

_'He didn't freak out on me and ask me for help when I appeared, he isn't babbling on about how he could get killed... He has thought the situation over... Naruto really has matured.'_ thought Tsunade with a slight smile.

"Naruto, I have to talk to you, it will take a little bit, but I will try to hurry it through." said Tsunade.

"Naruto there is something you should know about the Akatsuki." said Tsunade.

"Tsunade, if there has been something that you know about the Akatsuki, that you haven't been telling me... I will be very angry with you." said Naruto warningly.

"Too late for me to go back on what I said, I have been waiting a while to tell you this, but now I have no choice, the time is nearing..." said Tsunade.

"Time? What time?" asked Naruto.

"Sshh! Let me explain!(sigh) This is going to be long, so don't say a word, and don't interrupt, no matter how shocking this is to you." said Tsunade.

Naruto felt annoyed, but nodded his head.

_'I'll just say it all quickly and get it over with.'_ thought Tsunade.

"Okay (deep breath) There are Akatsuki members that are not what they seem, Itachi Uchiha, he did not kill his clan, Orochimaru did, and posed as Itachi in front of Sasuke to make him hate his brother. If Sasuke hates his brother, he knew that Sasuke would work to be better then him, and try to kill him. He wanted to use this as an advantage to get Sasuke on his side. It was an attempt for Orochimaru to get a hold of the Sharingan eyes, but the entire Uchiha clan aside from the two, died rather than give them up. Orochimaru saved Sasuke as a back-up in case he couldn't get the Uchiha prodigy Itachi Uchiha's body, and to this day still hopes to gain Itachi's body. Soon after Fugaku, Sasuke's father, was killed, Itachi was placed in the Akatsuki by Konoha, to take his father's place, and as soon as Itachi joined, he spread the truths of Orochimaru's plots to the boss of the Akatsuki whom we refer to as shadow, and Orochimaru was thrown from the Akatsuki. Orochimaru claims that he quit, but that is not important. Also in the Akatsuki, Kisame and Deidara are also spies in league with Itachi to help Konoha, and they have been trying to stop the Akatsuki ever since they joined." said Tsunade quickly.

Naruto was in such a state of shock that he wasn't breathing.

"There are many Bijuu left for the Akatsuki to pray upon, and one of them is very near to you. Hinata Hyuuga is the twin-tailed Jinkurichi that holds Nekomata, she is the source of the Hyuugas Byakugan, she will die at an early age, just as her mother, and her mother's mother and so on. Nekomata is about to awaken within Hinata soon, and that is why Hiashi wants her home so badly, if something isn't done, the awakening could be disastrous to Hinata's body, it might even kill her. So I leave this information with you to spread among Hinata, Sasuke, and the rest of the Konoha 11, so kay bye!" said Tsunade quickly.

Tsunade then jumped away and flew at extremely fast speeds towards the Hokage tower.

Naruto just stood there shocked, all of that information, all at once, so many questions, so much to comprehend.

Naruto fell to the floor, and began to meditate to calm down his mind and tackle these things one at a time as he felt a headache fast approaching his psyche.

"Itachi... innocent? Spies? Fugaku, Deidara, Kisame? Sasuke... How am I going to tell him that?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"(gasp) Wait!" exclaimed Naruto.

_'What if that wasn't Baa-chan at all? It could have been an akatsuki member in disguise trying to get me scared, or believe in false things.'_ thought Naruto angrily.

Naruto was confused, he had no idea what to believe, or what to think.

"If it's true, then Sasuke will have no reason to get stronger than his brother... Itachi... Does that mean that Itachi will try to talk to Sasuke? Will they be brothers again?! That's kind of hard to believe..." said Naruto as he trailed off.

Naruto suddenly thought about his past, about... Hinata.

"Believe... I believe in you Naruto... That's what Hinata said to me... on more than one occasion... Hinata! (gasp) If THAT is also true, then Hinata will... die." said Naruto sadly.

"She... is a jinkurichi?... It is possible, but not easy to believe... but if what Tsunade or whoever it was said was true, then she will either die soon, or at an early age..." said Naruto sadly.

"Hinata... so many emotions have risen from my heart ever since I started to think about her... I don't know what to think of these emotions... but, I need to know before... she..." said Naruto sadly.

"Maybe I can stop it!... If it is even true..." said Naruto sadly.

Naruto sat there for a moment and mowed his brain over everything.

"Gaaaah!! My brain hurts!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto then laid down on the ground and held his head.

"Gah... I need to talk to someone, someone smart..." said Naruto.

"Hey Naruto." said Shikamaru.

"..."

Naruto got up and turned around to see Shikamaru walking towards him from practically nowhere in the woods.

_'Okay, what even are the frickin odds?!'_ thought Naruto.

"Hey Shikamaru, I've got some really good questions for you." said Naruto.

"(sigh) Not now Naruto, I'm not in the mood for a riddle, and besides... Why aren't you wearing a shirt? You know what, never mind. Tsunade has been looking for you, and Hiashi has put a bounty on your head." said Shikamaru.

Naruto didn't even looked surprised at this point.

"Really, how much?" asked Naruto.

"Two million." said Shikamaru.

"Huh... That's not so bad..." said Naruto.

"In American dollars..." said Shikamaru

"Holy crap! Two million dollars?! I won't make that amount of money in my ENTIRE life-time!" exclaimed Naruto.

"(sigh) I know, that is why you should go to Tsunade, you will be safest if you stay with her." said Shikamaru.

"Yeah, about that, I wanted to ask you some questions pertaining to that particular subject." said Naruto intelligently.

"...(sigh) What a drag... Fine, shoot." said Shikamaru.

"Okay, get ready for a long and extensive version of what Tsunade just told me." said Naruto.

Naruto then told Shikamaru everything he had heard. He then went into detail of what he thought of it, and why he wanted a second opinion.

After hearing everything, Shikamaru put his hands behind his head, and thought for a moment.

"..."

"...Okay...Wow first of all." said Shikamaru.

Shikamaru walked up to Naruto and stood beside him to face Konoha.

"I already knew from Tsunade that there were Akatsuki members on our side but... Hinata being a Jinkurichi that can grant an entire generation the power of the Byakugan... that is quite a story Naruto..." said Shikamaru.

"I know, that is why I wanted a second opinion." said Naruto.

"Well... After running a few scenarios, and calculating probabilities, I would say that all of it is... most likely... true..." said Shikamaru.

Naruto stood there for a moment, then looked down at the floor with a depressed face.

"So, Baa-chan was telling the truth." said Naruto.

"...So, what do you think I should do Shikamaru?" asked Naruto with a still depressed face.

"(sigh) Well... Given the situation, I'd tell Sasuke and Hinata the truth." said Shikamaru.

"It's not that easy." said Naruto.

_'It's hard for me to imagine myself walking up to such a nice girl, and telling her that she will die an early age. Or walking up to such a dedicated guy, and telling him that what he has believed for most of his life is a lie.'_ thought Naruto with frustration.

"I know, no one said it would be easy." said Shikamaru.

"...Could you do me a favor? Spread this information to the rest of the Konoha 11 aside from Sasuke and Hinata, and tell them that they aren't to tell anyone else, even other Konoha 11 members." said Naruto.

Shikamaru walked towards Konoha, and jumped up into the nearest tree.

"Okay. I understand... And... Naruto..." said Shikamaru as he looked down at Naruto.

"Yeah?" asked Naruto.

"Good luck." said Shikamaru.

"I'll need more than luck to pull this off..." said Naruto.

Naruto then disappeared in a flash, leaving Shikamaru standing there alone in the woods.

"(sigh) This is all so troublesome..." said Shikamaru.

--

Tsunade sat at her desk, downing as much Sak'e as she possibly could.

"Tsunade please! Stop this! Whatever happened, I'm sure it will be alright!" exclaimed Shizune.

"(gulp)(gulp)(fast breathing) No, I don't think it will ever be alright! Naruto is probably freaking out, and is also probably more depressed than ever!" exclaimed Tsunade as she started drinking again.

"(gasp) Oh my god you finally told him?!" exclaimed Shizune.

Tsunade finished of the bottle, and threw it to the ground, breaking it.

"Yes. And I'm not sure how he will react..." said Tsunade.

Suddenly there was a flash of light, and Naruto appeared in front of Tsunade's desk.

"Oh god." said Tsunade.

"(sigh) Okay look I'm sorry! I'm sorry okay?! I feel horrible keeping these things from you, and now that I've told you, I feel even worse for handing you such a burden." said Tsunade.

Tsunade sat at her desk with her hands over her face, and worry in her eyes.

Naruto just stood there, and glared at her.

Then Naruto formed a concentration hand sign.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" asked Shizune.

Suddenly, Naruto's chakra spiked, and it shook the entire tower for a second.

Naruto then concentrated, and peered deep into his mind.

_'Kyuubi It's time to talk.'_ said Naruto.

Naruto then grabbed the Kyuubi in his mind and formed a chakra vessel for him.

Naruto's chakra poured from him, and compiled onto the floor next to him. The chakra then rose from the ground, forming the shape of a man.

Naruto then took the Kyuubi's spirit, and quickly thrust it into the body.

(Bang!)

There was a huge explosion of smoke, and all Tsunade could see, was two red eyes, and two blue eyes looking back at her.

When the smoke cleared Naruto was standing next to a tall man. He had a suave appearance about him. He wore a dark red tuxedo, and had wild fire-red hair.

Tsunade wondered who it was for only a second, but quickly realized who it was.

"K-Kyuubi!!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"That's the Kyuubi?!" exclaimed Shizune.

Kyuubi ignored them and turned to Naruto.

**_"What is the meaning of this?"_** asked Kyuubi calmly.

"We need to talk." said Naruto.

_**"What about?"**_ asked the Kyuubi.

"Well, the bijuu of course." said Naruto.

**_"Okay. I understand."_** said Kyuubi.

"Do you know of a Bijuu named Nekomata?" asked Naruto.

Kyuubi looked surprised for a second, then looked at Naruto.

**_"Yes, she... was a very powerful Bijuu, one who ruled the others along with me."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto looked very shocked for a minute, then calmed himself and replied.

"I see, and what happens to a host that holds Nekomata?" asked Naruto.

**_"Well, they would suffer a severely shortened life, but would be granted amazing powers."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto looked at Kyuubi, then at Tsunade, and Tsunade looked at her desk in shame.

"So, can the life of the Host be saved in any way?" asked Naruto.

Tsunade looked up from her desk in surprise of the question, and awaited the Kyuubi's response.

_**"...There would be a way... but it is dangerous, and overly risky..."**_ said Kyuubi.

"What?! What is it?! Tell me!!" exclaimed Naruto.

**_"Before I tell you, I need to make sure that it works myself. I'll need to do some thinking."_** said Kyuubi.

"Tell me Kyuubi." said Naruto.

**_"No, not until i am sure, but until then, do you have any other questions?"_** asked Kyuubi.

"Well, how many Bijuu do you sense in the village right now?" asked Tsunade.

Kyuubi looked at her for a second, then turned to Naruto.

_**"Hm... Aside from me...six."**_ said Kyuubi.

Tsunade then turned completely pale, and was speechless.

"Six!? Are... are you sure?!" exclaimed Naruto.

**_"I'm the King of all Bijuu, what do you think?"_** asked Kyuubi harshly.

"Fine, I believe you, but, you need to tell me exactly when you are sure that your life-saving plan will work." said Naruto impatiently.

Kyuubi looked into Naruto eyes, and saw genuine concern, worry, desperation, and... something else.

Kyuubi merely smiled, and nodded.

"You two. In the mean time, protect this pup from any harm or ridicule, if you don't you will find Bijuu enemies." warned Kyuubi.

Tsunade was shocked and quickly nodded. Shizune just sat there with her mouth agape.

Kyuubi turned his head to Naruto and nodded.

Naruto then released the jutsu, and Kyuubi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto was left standing in the middle of the room, studying Tsunade and Shizune.

"So, what do you think?" asked Naruto.

Tsunade just stared at her desk, and couldn't believe what she had just heard, or what had just happened.

After a lengthened silence, Naruto walked to the door, and opened it.

"Thanks to Hiashi, I will not be safe in my apartment, so I will be crashing somewhere else." said Naruto.

Tsunade was snapped from her stupor, and looked up at Naruto with concern.

"Somewhere else? You have nowhere to go!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Please. I have many paths to choose from..." said Naruto.

Naruto then left the room, closing the door behind him.

"..."

"Damn. This is getting serious. Shizune, alert all guards, we are going to be at a level 2 security clearance for all guards and personnel." said Tsunade.

"H-Hai." stuttered Shizune.

Shizune ran out the door, and left Tsunade to think by herself.

"(sigh) I am letting a powerfully destructive Bijuu wander around, while 5 more Bijuu wander around in the same area... I know I should give some trust but... It just doesn't seem... smart." said Tsunade.

"Tsunade."

A voice came from behind the door Naruto just left through.

"Yes?" asked Tsunade tiredly.

"I need to talk to you about something... and... why is Naruto walking through the halls without a shirt on?" asked Ino.

"Never mind that..." said Tsunade.

Tsunade noticed that there was something wrong with Ino, she looked to be on the sad side, and also looked very troubled.

"What's wrong Ino?" asked Tsunade.

Ino walked up to Tsunade's desk and at the floor to her left.

"Well... I have having trouble... um... cooperating with my team mates." said Ino.

"Hm... I see. I was just recently going over some of your mission stats, and I noticed that ever since I started the groups up again, your efficiency rate has been dropping dramatically." said Tsunade.

"I-I'm sorry." said Ino.

Ino looked down at the ground with an even sadder face.

"Don't be. I took you and threw you in with team mates you haven't worked with for a while, don't worry, you just have to adjust." said Tsunade reassuringly.

"I... I have tried, but I just can't bring myself to..." said Ino.

Ino was now blushing a bit, and was fidgeting her hands around.

"Hm?" muttered Tsunade.

_'That reminds me of... Hinata... When she is around Naruto..._' thought Tsunade.

"..."

"Oh... I see how it is." said Tsunade with a smile.

"W-what do you mean?" asked Ino worriedly.

_'Ha! She has a crush on either Chouji or Shikamaru, and she is having problems concentrating because of it.'_ thought Tsunade.

"Okay, I will fix this problem by re-sorting the teams." said Tsunade.

"Nani?!" exclaimed Ino.

"Yes. The new teams will be posted in between 6:00 AM and 1:00 PM of tomorrow morning. And that is final." said Tsunade

"Did you get all of that?" asked Tsunade.

Suddenly an ANBU nin dropped down from the ceiling and landed next to Ino in front of her desk.

"Gah!" exclaimed Ino.

"Yes Ma'am." said the ANBU, ignoring Ino's presence.

"Good, go and notify the Konoha 11 members immediately." said Tsunade.

"As you command." said the ANBU.

"Ms. Yamanaka, are you aware that the teams are being changed for the Konoha 11, the time will be posted..." started the ANBU nin.

"Aside from her please..." said Tsunade.

Tsunade put her hand on her head in exasperation.

"Hai." said the ANBU nin.

The ANBU nin then jumped out the window, and out of sight.

"Oh god... What have I done?" asked Ino to herself.

"Nothing really to get worked up about, so please, leave me to my work." said Tsunade with a wave of her hand.

Ino had no choice but to leave, as Tsunade pointed her to the door.

_'I hope nothing bad comes of this...'_ thought Ino.

--

END OF CHAPTER

Next chapter: How to Tell?


	26. How to Tell?

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 26:**_

_**How to tell?:**_

Naruto awoke in a daze and rubbed his head.

He was laying on a rather large tree branch in the middle of the woods, he felt his head hurt a bit, and he felt strangely out of place.

"What happened last night?" mumbled Naruto to no one in particular.

He then began wondering to himself.

_'Uhck! What am I doing in the middle of the woods... without a shirt...' _thought Naruto.

It only took Naruto about a second to realize who could have done something like this to him.

"Jaraiya..." said Naruto.

"God damn that perverted Sannin... He probably did this..." said Naruto.

Naruto then stretched himself out, stood up on the branch, and dusted himself off.

Naruto then leaped towards town, and began his search for the Toad Hermit.

As Naruto walked through town, he noticed gazes that he got from people. He was used to people giving him bad looks, but this was different, they were looking at him with... something... different.

_'What are these people's problems?'_ thought Naruto.

_'Well... I don't have a shirt on...'_ thought Naruto.

"I had better get dressed..." mumbled Naruto.

Naruto jumped across town, and headed towards the Hokage tower.

Naruto finally got to the tower, and stopped at the front.

He turned to the left to see Jaraiya's tent.

"Ha. He is still in town..." said Naruto.

Naruto walked into the tent, to find that nobody was in.

"Huh, probably went out early to go peek on women getting dressed..." said Naruto.

Naruto then walked over to Jaraiya's bag, and opened it up.

He stuck his whole arm in, and pulled out a spare shirt of his.

"Well, him not being here isn't a total loss..." said Naruto.

Naruto put his shirt on, and equipped his spare jacket and accessories.

"Good thing that Ero-Sennin, still carries my stuff..." said Naruto.

He stepped out of the tent, and looked around.

And just before he went to leave, he sensed something familiar.

He immediately turned around and looked on top of the Hokage monument. There, he saw none other then Jaraiya, standing on top of the monument.

"Aha! Baka!" shouted Naruto.

Jaraiya was in fact using his telescope to spy, and heard a voice from down below.

Jaraiya turned towards the noise, and looked down from the Hokage monument, but before he could pinpoint the source of the noise, there was a flash that momentarily blinded him, then, a set of blue eyes staring into his.

"..."

"Naruto! Hey how's it going!" exclaimed Jaraiya.

(Glare)

"Hey now, what's with the look? Is that any way to look at your sensei?" asked Jaraiya as he tucked away his telescope.

"Well that all depends, does a sensei leave his student out in the middle of the woods without a shirt on after who knows what?!" exclaimed Naruto s he waved his arms about wildly.

"..."

"The middle of the woods? I don't know what you're talking about." said Jaraiya.

Naruto gave him a skeptical look, and was going to say that he was lying, and he held up a hand to silence him.

"...Wait, you woke up in the middle of the woods... without a shirt on?" asked Jaraiya with a completely serious face.

"Yes, know anything about it?" asked Naruto suspiciously.

Suddenly Jaraiya's face changed from serious to overly happy.

"Aaaaaalright Narutoooooooo!! Whatever you did last night must have been SOME party!! You must have been wasted off of your butt on Sak'e to not remember anything!" exclaimed Jaraiya with pride.

"No! No! I wouldn't have done something like that!" exclaimed Naruto.

Jaraiya ignored him and continued talking.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" exclaimed Jaraiya.

_'Ha! He realized that I would never do such a thing...' _thought Naruto.

"You went to a crazy party, and you DIDN'T invite ME?!" exclaimed Jaraiya.

Jaraiya was freaking out that he was no longer cool to Naruto, and that he had been uninvited to his party. He was gripping his hair in stress, and pulling at it.

_'When did this happen? Where did I go wrong?... Maybe it was when I hired Naruto a hooker for his birthday that one year... Is he still mad at me for thinking he would want such a thing?'_ thought Jaraiya as he returned to normal posture.

_'Baka...'_thought Naruto.

_'What a waste of money, all he did was throw a fit, then left.' _thought Jaraiya.

Naruto saw him still thinking to himself and got frustrated. So Naruto closed his eyes and crossed his arms to force himself to be more patient.

"(sigh) No. I didn't have a party, I didn't do anything like that, and you know I wouldn't unless there was a great occasion." said Naruto.

Naruto defensiveness jumped Jaraiya out of his fantasy of Naruto growing up to be more like him, and got serious again.

"Yeah I suppose your right, and the fact that you don't have a hang-over means that you must have merely thought too hard yesterday." concluded Jaraiya.

"Thought too hard?" asked Naruto.

"Sure! If you over-work your body one day, it will hurt the next, right? Well, same goes for your brain, except, you forget things instead." explained Jaraiya.

"That... kinda makes since." said Naruto.

"Well, then I should probably try to find something to make me remember..." said Naruto.

"Yeah, In my experience if you can't remember anything from the previous day, it usually means that something horrible happened that day, so you should probably get a jump on that." said Jaraiya.

Naruto stood there trying to think, but couldn't come up with anything from yesterday.

"(Naruto sighs)"

"Well I should check out your body for any foreign substances, just in case in could have been a drug that did this." said Jaraiya.

"Alright... just to be sure..." said Naruto.

Jaraiya, then applied chakra to his hand and moved it around Naruto's body once in a wave pattern.

"Well, my chakra has revealed nothing out of the ordinary." said Jaraiya.

"Now time for a complete up-close visual inspection." said Jaraiya.

Jaraiya then reached into his pocket and puled out his telescope.

"Um, Jaraiya shouldn't you back up first?" asked Naruto

Jaraiya already had his telescope up and was pointing it at Naruto's face.

"Woah!!" exclaimed Jaraiya.

"Oh God what?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"I can see your skin cells..." said Jaraiya.

"..."

"You need to wash your face..." said Jaraiya.

"..."

"...(sigh) Well, I'm going to go and search for something to jump my memory now..." said Naruto.

"Good plan, you do that, and I'll eat this potato..." said Jaraiya.

Jaraiya plopped down, and took a bite out of a baked potato from his pocket.

"...See you later then..." said Naruto questionably.

Naruto jumped down from the rock face, and prepared to hit the ground.

_'He's always so weird...'_thought Naruto as he absentmindedly looked back up at the Sannin.

--

At the Hokage tower, Tsunade was trying to get her paperwork done... but...

"Tsunade! Please! I have to know!" begged Shizune.

Shizune had been bothering Tsunade ever since she had changed the teams.

"No." said Tsunade.

"But why? Why not tell me why you re-arranged the teams the way you did?" asked Shizune.

"I neeeeeeeed to knoooooooow!" exclaimed Shizune.

"(sigh) Fine, I paired them for... certain reasons." said Tsunade.

"..."

"Lllllike?" pushed Shizune.

"Well, Shino was moved because he is observant, and says what he thinks, even if it is too bold or blunt. So sticking him with HER should solve things quickly." said Tsunade.

"Oh, so you are hoping that Shino will talk to her about her crush?" asked Shizune.

"Yes, plus, I took THOSE two, and put them in with Naruto, so that it will be easier for him..." said Tsunade with a sad face.

"Oh. I get it." said Shizune

"And what of the Special Jounin team you have set up?" asked Shizune.

"Well, Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma, and Gai can perform that elemental sealing jutsu, and it is better that we keep at least three of them together, just in case the jutsu needs doing." said Tsunade.

"Oh... And what of Sai?" asked Shizune.

"Oh him? I just stuck him where ever." said Tsunade.

Shizune smiled then looked at Tsunade seriously.

"No, really." prodded Shizune.

"What do you mean?" asked Tsunade.

"You seriously...(sigh) Never mind..." said Shizune.

_'I wonder how they are all going to deal with this?'_thought Shizune.

"You know Tsunade, you really should talk to Naruto, you just left him with all of that information, you should talk to him, and make him feel better or at least tell him how to cope with all of this." insisted Shizune.

"(sigh)"

Tsunade put her elbows on her desk, and rested her head on her hands.

"(sigh) Come on Tsunade! Go and find him! It not like he will come flying through the ceiling..." said Shizune as she pointed at the ceiling.

Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a loud series of noises from above them.

(Crack!)

(Smash!)

"(Phlaeack!)"

Naruto cracked through the ceiling, and slammed onto the floor with a sickening thud.

"..."

"I shall use this power for good!" exclaimed Shizune as she stared at her finger.

"Naruto! Are you okay!?" exclaimed Tsunade.

"And then a giant bowl of ice cream fell through the hole that Naruto made..." said Shizune as she held her hands out.

"..."

"Damn..." muttered Shizune.

Naruto slowly stood up, and didn't look very conscious.

"Mnotonooos..." mumbled Naruto.

He had spirals in his eyes and was swaying back and forth.

"Naruto, I need to talk to you." said Tsunade.

Tsunade didn't notice that Naruto wasn't listening, or that he wasn't really awake.

Naruto was barely standing, and wobbled his way over to the windows.

"I'm sorry that I dropped all of that information on you then left like that." said Tsunade.

Naruto fell out of an open window near her desk.

"..."

"Well... okay then..." said Tsunade.

"I don't think he was conscious yet..." said Shizune.

(Splat!)

"Aw! Not again!" shouted the man who owns the fruit cart.

"(sigh) If this happens any more, we are probably going to end up paying that guy." said Shizune

"Yeah... Well, on the bright side, I didn't have to talk to Naruto." said Tsunade happily.

"And on the dark side, we have to find a contractor to fix this ceiling." said Shizune.

Tsunade slammed her head onto her desk.

"God damn it..." said Tsunade.

--

At a restaurant across the street, Sakura, Ten ten, Kurenai, and Ino were all sitting at the bar, talking about their love-lives.

"(sigh) I just can't seem to make up my mind..." said Kurenai.

"You and me both..." said Ino.

"I seem to be confused as well..." said Sakura.

"(Group sigh)"

"I'm not confused... but I'm having some trouble." said Ten Ten sadly.

"You? Having trouble? That doesn't seem right." said Sakura.

"Yeah, you're usually going great with Neji..." said Sakura.

"Yes but... Lately Neji has stopped coming over to see me, and when ever I see him somewhere, I go over to greet him, and he evades me!" exclaimed Ten Ten.

Ten Ten looked seriously distraught, and started to cry a bit.

"What if he doesn't like me anymore?" asked Ten Ten with tears in her eyes.

"No. That can't be it." assured Kurenai.

"Yeah, maybe he's just cheating on you." said Ino.

"Gaaaah!!" exclaimed Ten Ten as she slammed her head into the bar and started sobbing.

"Ino!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Sorry! I thought I was helping!" exclaimed Ino.

Sakura tried to talk to her, but she didn't respond, and kept her head on the bar.

"Just leave me alone." said Ten Ten.

"Fine, well, what is wrong with you Kurenai?" asked Ino.

"Well... I guess it's alright if I tell you. Before that mission to save Sasuke, Asuma was constantly taking me out on dates, and I really started to like him, but then Kakashi came along..." said Kurenai.

"Kakashi?" asked Ino.

"Oh my God! Did he rape you? Are you pregnant?!" asked Sakura wildly.

"N-No! Nothing like that! But, I found attracted to him, and we really connected, but now that Kakashi has lost his memory, I don't know whether or not to take Asuma, or try Kakashi..." said Kurenai.

"Oh. Rough." said Ino.

"And what about you Ino? You said before that you were having trouble as well..." said Sakura.

"I don't want to talk about it." said Ino.

"Come on! Kurenai talked about it! You owe her one." prodded Sakura.

"(sigh) Fine... I... am... infatuated with two guys..." started Ino.

"One of them is already seeing someone, and the other is..." said Ino.

Ino trailed off, and stared at her hands which were folded together around a glass of Sak'e.

"So... What about you Sakura?" asked Kurenai to change the subject.

"Well... I don't know." said Sakura.

"What do you mean?" asked Kurenai.

"Well, I'm not sure whether or not I should approach... I mean... If I should talk..." said Sakura.

"Sasuke?" asked Ino.

"Yeah." said Sakura sadly.

"Hm. After Sasuke was with your team for about less than a year, I saw that you two were getting close, so I gave up on Sasuke, and... took up... Shikamaru..." said Ino.

Sakura looked shock that Ino had actually admitted it, and she continued.

"Yes, I admit it, I have a crush on Shika, but... I am confused, I don't know what love means. I have never experienced a relationship before." said Ino sadly.

"You had that with Sasuke... whether he wanted to admit it or not, both of you were interested in each other, and if you have a chance to rekindle a relationship like the one that was cut so short it didn't exist, then I would take it, and maybe, who knows? Maybe he'll stay with us this memory around." said Ino.

"..."

"Wow(sniff sniff) Th-That was beautiful." said a voice.

They looked into the bar to see Bryant, the shop-keep.

"Thank you?" said Ino questionably.

"Yes, thank you Ino... I... needed that." said Sakura emotionally.

Before Ino could say that it was no problem, she sensed some something behind her.

Suddenly someone quickly walked up to the bar.

It was Neji, and he looked very distraught, and tired.

"Excuse me, but we have been called to the Hokage's office." said Neji.

Very suddenly, Ten Ten flew off of her bar stool, grabbed Neji's collar, and slammed him up against the bar wall.

"WHO IS SHE?! WHO IS SHE?!" shouted Ten Ten.

Neji looked completely taken aback and confused.

"Wh-what? Who's who?" asked Neji with a flustered voice.

"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHO!! THAT LITTLE SKANKY BITCH YOU'VE BEEN SLINKING AROUND WITH!!" shouted Ten Ten.

"Wh-who?! What?!" exclaimed Neji in surprise.

"YOU'VE BEEN CHEATING ON ME!! YOU'VE BEEN DODGING ME!!" shrieked Ten Ten.

"Ten Ten, I would never..." started Neji.

Ten Ten then rounded up on him, and slammed him into the wall again.

"YOU LYING, CHEATING, NO GOOD mmph! " exclaimed Ten Ten.

Neji had rushed forward, and embraced her in a close and deep kiss.

Sakura and Ino looked really surprised, but Kurenai just sat there.

"Huh. Didn't see that coming." said Kurenai as she took a drink from her glass.

After what seemed like forever, Neji finally let her go.

Ten Ten stood there is surprise and she didn't know what to say.

Neji then rested his forehead against hers, and with a soft comforting voice, whispered into her ear.

"Ten Ten, How could ever think..." whispered Neji.

Neji took his hand, and put it under her chin.

"That I would ever do something so despicable to such a sweet beautiful girl like you." said Neji softly and sweetly.

Ten Ten's eyes were welling over with water and emotion.

"Oh Neji!" exclaimed Ten Ten.

"I'm sorry I ever thought such bad things! It's just that we were talking, I was worried because you were dodging me, then Ino said that you could be cheating, and just the thought broke me down. I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Ten Ten as she hugged him close.

Neji shot an accusing look at Ino, and hugged Ten Ten back.

"It's okay, I love you Ten Ten." said Neji comfortingly.

"I have to explain my absence and dodging to you. It is kind of a long story..." said Neji.

Neji and Ten Ten walked away closely embraced, leaving Ino, Sakura, and Kurenai at the bar.

"Why doesn't that ever happen to me?" asked Sakura.

"Tell me about it." said Bryant.

"..."

"Except with a girl of course... You sickos..." said Bryant.

Bryant ducked into the back to avoid conversation, and Kurenai was the first to speak.

"Well, Neji said before that we had been called to the Hokage tower, so I suppose we should head on over there." said Kurenai.

All three of them nodded, downed the rest of their Sak'e, and headed over to the Hokage tower.

--

They walked up to the tower, and saw that almost every member of the Konoha 11 was there.

They saw a list, posted on a bulletin board outside the Hokage tower's main entrance.

Here is what the list read:

Until further notice, the Konoha 11 will be made up of teams of 4, but unlike last time, the teams have been switched.

--

Team: Ninja:

Team 1: -- -- -- -- -- Naruto, Sakura, Hinata, and Sasuke.

Team 2: -- -- -- -- -- Sai, Asuma, Kakashi, Kurenai.

Team 3: -- -- -- -- -- Shino, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji.

Team 4: -- -- -- -- -- Neji, Lee, Ten Ten, Gai.

(Kiba Inuzuka is not to be counted in these teams, he is busy with an "S" class mission.)

--

"An S class mission?" asked Ten Ten.

"Yes, It is supposedly a matter of village security, and village ties with the Land of Lightning." said Shino.

"The Land of Lightning? So they're on our side now?" asked Ino.

"Yes, and I believe we can thank Naruto for that." said Shikamaru.

"Yeah, he did make friends with the Raikage herself... Speaking of which, where has Houkou been all this time?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah, I like her, and I never really got a chance to get to know her." said Ino.

"With Kiba, but I haven't seen either of them for a while." said Shino.

"With Kiba?! Haven't seen them!? Oh my god! By now he's probably got her tied up in his basement!" exclaimed Ino.

"Ino! How could you say such a ridiculous thing..." said Hinata.

"..."

"Yeah Hinata is right... Kiba doesn't have a basement." finished Shino.

"..."

"You know, I'm sure they are fine... speaking of fine... has anyone seen Naruto?" asked Ino.

"Oh my god Ino!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Wow." said Kurenai with a surprised face.

"What?" asked Ino.

"You like Naruto?!" exclaimed Sakura.

"What?! No! No! Of course not!" exclaimed Ino.

"But when you said speaking of fine, you were insinuating that Naruto is fine!" exclaimed Kurenai.

"No! No. I meant as in, you know, whether Naruto was okay or not, whether or not he was FINE, as in OKAY!" exclaimed Ino.

"Oh... My bad." said Sakura.

"Yeah, only an bar-hopping drunk would like Naruto..." said Ino.

"..."

"I've got to go girls." said Hinata in a slightly angry tone.

Hinata pushed past Ino and began to walk over towards Ten Ten who was closer to the bulletin board.

"What? Why?" asked Ino.

"I've apparently got to go bar-hopping and get drunk, just like I usually do." said Hinata sarcastically as she stormed off to start up a conversation with Neji.

"Hinata! Wait! I didn't mean... Wait, did she just admit it?..." asked Ino.

"Heh, yeah she did... in a sarcastically snide sort of way..." said Sakura.

"It's kind of weird, she almost never talks in such a way... something is definitely different about her." said Kurenai.

Practically everyone close to Hinata knew that she had a crush on Naruto, but she was never one to actually admit it.

"Yeah something is different." said Ino thoughtfully.

"Different about what?" asked Naruto.

Naruto came walking up to them, and he looked really woozy.

"Naruto! You shouldn't be outside! You could get murdered!" exclaimed Sakura.

"I'm a ninja I'll be just fine..." mumbled Naruto.

The girls just stared at him for a moment, realizing something was wrong with his posture and balance.

"You know what I did today?" asked Naruto groggily.

"No." said Sakura.

"Neither do I..." mumbled Naruto.

"..."

"Naruto, what is wrong with you?" asked Ino.

"You know what's wrong with me? This morning, I woke up, and there was watermelon in my boxers." said Naruto.

"..."

"What?" asked Sakura.

"Yeah, then, this guy began yelling at me immediately after I woke up, so now I have a bigger headache than I had when I woke up. Try having a good day after that!" mumbled Naruto as he wobbled back and forth.

"Naruto, something is wrong with you." said Ino.

"Yes. She is right, there is something wrong with you." said Shino.

Naruto shook his head and regained his balance.

"The only thing that is wrong, is your face..." said Naruto.

"That was uncalled for..." said Shino with a fake hurt voice.

"Naruto... You're not yourself..." said Sakura.

Suddenly Sakura was interrupted by a movement in the ground under Sakura's feet.

Sakura jumped out of the way, and Kakashi slowly morphed out of the ground where she was standing.

"What's this all I hear now?" asked Kakashi.

"I think Naruto is drunk Kakashi." said Kurenai with a slight blush.

Kakashi saw Kurenai's blush for a second, but merely looked back at Naruto.

"Naruto? Drunk? I don't think so." said Kakashi.

Kakashi walked up to Naruto and grabbed his head.

Kakashi then made a shadow clone appear behind Naruto.

"What?" slurred Naruto.

The clone then formed a few simple handsigns.

"Clearance no jutsu!" said Kakashi.

The clone put his hand on the back of Naruto's head.

"Release!" said Kakashi.

A small wave of chakra shot out from Kakashi's hand and Kakashi's clone disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Kakashi released Naruto's head and stepped back.

"There." said Kakashi.

Suddenly Naruto stood perfectly still, then slowly got up.

"Naruto?" asked Sakura.

"What did you do?" asked Kurenai.

"I sent a wave of chakra into the frontal lobe of his brain, then pushed past the temporal lobe, and regressed into his cerebellum, once there, I used my chakra to speed up the neurons in his brain, causing each individual myelin sheath of every neuron to strengthen, as well as increase the sensitivity of their dendrites..." explained Kakashi.

"...You did what now?" asked Sakura.

Even though she was a medical nin, she still didn't know much about the brain or it's properties.

"(sigh) I basically went to the memory storage section of his brain, and sped up his brain's ability to retrieve information, it will help him concentrate or a short period of time, and hopefully, this will help him retrieve some memories as well." said Kakashi.

"Oh... That seems kind of complicated." said Sakura.

"Yes, and we have no idea of telling how it will work unless Naruto stops acting so..." said Kakashi.

Kakashi realized something.

"Where is Naruto?" asked Kakashi.

Where Naruto was standing, there was a hole in the ground.

"Oh geez..." said Sakura as she put a hand over her head.

Suddenly Naruto popped up in between Hinata and Neji who were having a decent conversation until the interruption.

"(gasp) Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata as she slightly turned red.

"Naruto?" asked Neji.

Naruto ignored Neji and looked into Hinata's eyes.

_'I... I can think... things are so much more obvious... my feelings... my emotions... my movements... my priorities... But this concentration won't last for much longer, I can already feel it slipping away.' _thought Naruto.

Naruto just stood there thinking, and stared into Hinata's eyes.

"N-Naruto?" asked Hinata with a blush.

Everyone had their attention on Naruto as he was the most recent one to pop out of the ground randomly.

"..."

"Hinata." said Naruto.

"Y-Yes?" asked Hinata nervously.

Naruto looked into her eyes, and suddenly felt extremely nervous, his mind racing, and his heart pounding, Naruto felt his self-confidence slip away.

"W-we are on the same team now, so we should start training together." said Naruto.

_'Damn, that's not what I wanted to say...' _thought Naruto

"Tomorrow, meet me in Training Ground 33, okay?" asked Naruto.

_'I thought he was going to ask me something else...'_ thought Hinata with disappointment.

Hinata's face changed from worried while he was talking, disappointed when he finished, and happy when she realized he had kind of asked her out.

"O-Okay." said Hinata nervously.

Hinata did not know what to say aside from that, although her mind was racing.

'What do I wear?! What should I bring?! Will I disappoint Naruto with my abilities?' thought Hinata.

Hinata suddenly went from happy to depressed, and Naruto did not know why.

Naruto stepped closer to her, but she responded by turning slightly away from him.

_'If he gets too close I'll...'_ thought Hinata.

Naruto moved in and grasped her shoulders to give her support.

Hinata felt faint, then she drifted into unconsciousness.

Naruto gently let her lay onto the ground, and put her hands over her stomach.

Everyone was either staring a Naruto, or looking away in embarrassment, and the tension was becoming unpleasant.

Naruto did not know what to say, and so he tried to change the subject.

"Sakura, are you happy with the teams?" asked Naruto suddenly, as he stood to face Sakura.

Sakura looked surprised by the question, then decided she should probably answer him.

"Yes, Team 7 is now made up of me, you, Hinata, and... Sasuke." said Sakura.

Everyone turned to look at Sasuke, Kakashi looked observantly, and Neji along with Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, TenTen, Kurenai, and Lee gave him distrustful looks, and in return, Sasuke did not like the negative attention, so he turned to Sakura.

"Yes, I am now a part of your team, although, I can't imagine it being much fun with these guys always watching me." said Sasuke.

"Who?" asked Naruto.

Suddenly those who were looking at Sasuke felt awkward and turned away slightly so that they could still watch him with caution.

"The ANBU. There is one in that tree, one in the hole you made, one in the hole Kakashi made, and one in that pickle barrel over there." said Sasuke.

The pickle barrel Sasuke pointed at moved slightly, then settled back into place.

"..."

"Sasuke." said Sakura.

"Yes, Sakura?" asked Sasuke.

"How... are you?" asked Sakura with a blush.

Sasuke observed Sakura for a moment, gauging her emotions, and thinking about what she was actually asking. After a couple of seconds, Sasuke responded.

"I have come to grips with the fact that I have done terrible things, and I deserve to be punished. And although the Hokage is being overly lenient towards my punishment, I don't think that the leniency is for me, but instead, I think she is being lenient to me... for you. Sakura." said Sasuke.

"...Sasuke." said Sakura as her eyes teared slightly.

"Although I have come to grips with the fact that I have done terrible things, doesn't mean that I can't try to make up for my actions, even if it takes the rest of my life." said Sasuke adamently.

Most everyone looked skeptical, but Naruto looked happy at Sasuke's proclamation.

"Please, allow to make up for the first thing." said Sasuke.

Sasuke walked up to Sakura and put her hands in his.

"Sakura, for a long time I haven't been able to feel, but now that the seal is weakening, I can do something that I now realize that I have been wanting to do for many many years. Sakura, will you allow me to... Take you out on a date?" asked Sasuke.

At first Sakura was merely surprised, but hen she turned away from him.

"Sasuke... you can't just..." said Sakura with tears running down her cheeks.

Sakura then ran away from him, and disappeared down an alley.

"Sakura... I am... so sorry." whispered Sasuke sadly.

Sasuke felt tears building in his eyes, and he quickly wiped them away.

"Sasuke..." said Naruto as he walked towards him.

"I don't deserve you kindness." said Sasuke.

Sasuke then jumped off in the direction Sakura went, leaving them in an awkward silence.

"..."

"Well, what now?" asked Gai.

Suddenly, two ANBU jumped out of the holes, and followed after Sasuke, followed closely by an ANBU who looked kind of green and reeked of vinegar and preservatives.

"Who knows..." said Asuma.

"You know, it seems like now-a-days, everyone is hooking up with somebody but us." said Kakashi.

Asuma looked surprised for a second, then smiled.

"What about Kurenai?" asked Asuma.

"What about... Kurenai?" asked Kakashi.

"Oh nothing." said Asuma.

"Hmm..." muttered Kakashi.

Kakashi looked at him suspiciously, but decided to ignore it.

"Well, if everyone isn't doing anything at the moment, could someone tell me about what Sakura meant when she said I would be murdered?" asked Naruto.

"You don't remember that either?" asked Gai.

"What do you mean, that either?" asked Naruto.

"Oh nothing..." said Gai.

_'Naruto doesn't remember the pants incident, the Retrieve Sasuke mission, or apparently all of yesterday...' _thought Kakashi.

Kakashi walked up behind Naruto and turned him around to face him.

Kakashi put his hands on his shoulders, and looked him in the eye.

"Naruto, yesterday... Tsunade gave up alcohol." said Kakashi.

"...No really, tell me." said Naruto.

_'I really thought that my jutsu would work..' _thought Kakashi.

"It's nothing really, but Naruto... Do you remember anything from yesterday?" asked Kakashi.

"No! I don't! Do you know anything about it?" asked Naruto.

"Uh... I just realized, I have to... uh... do my laundry!" exclaimed Kakashi as he disappeared into the ground.

Naruto sighed and turned around.

"Do any of you guys know..." said Naruto.

When Naruto turned around, there was nobody there, not even Sai.

"Damn." said Naruto.

"Something serious must have happened yesterday." said Naruto.

"Well, nothing to do now, but wait until Hinata wakes up then..." said Naruto

Naruto suddenly found himself blushing, and extremely nervous.

"Hinata..." whispered Naruto with a blush.

Naruto found himself stoking her hair up and down, taking in it's smooth texture and scent.

It was relaxing, until Hinata woke with a start.

Hinata jumped away from Naruto.

"N-N-Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

"Good, you're awake!" said Naruto.

"I didn't want to leave until my new training partner was at least awake." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata blushed and nodded.

"G-Gomen Naruto-kun." said Hinata

_'There! She said it again! kun... I enjoy it when she addresses me in such a close manner.'_ thought Naruto.

"S-so..." said Hinata.

H-how about some Ichiraku Ramen, on me? asked Hinata hopefully.

Naruto, for some reason got an entirely different idea from what she said, and he got a furious blush.

"Th-that's really dirty Hinata!!" exclaimed Naruto.

"W-what?" exclaimed Hinata in confusion and embarrassment.

"Ramen, ON you? I'm not sure why you'd want ramen of all things spread all over you... but If you really want it..." said Naruto with a blush as he looked from Hinata to the ground.

Hinata fell over backwards and turned pitch red.

"Wha... wha... wha..." said Hinata.

_'N-Naruto s-spreading ramen a-a-all over m-me?'_ thought Hinata

"Th-th-that's not what I m-m-meant!" exclaimed Hinata.

"Oh. That's kind of a relief..." said Naruto sheepishly.

Naruto then thought for a second.

"Oh wait... Oh! Now I know what you were saying!" exclaimed Naruto sheepishly.

"I'm sorry Hinata, I'm just kind of off today I guess..." said Naruto.

Naruto reached out his hand to help her up.

She continued to blush, though not as bad, and she offered her hand to Naruto.

Naruto reached out to grab it, and their hands met.

Suddenly Naruto went into a whirl of visions.

First he saw himself on the street with Hiashi and Hinata, then suddenly there was a blur, and Naruto was in the Hokage's office crying, and finally he saw the inside of a rather circular cave with Hinata in his lap.

His vision blurred back to Hinata's hand grasping his. He did not know what to think of what he just saw, but he at least had a grasp on what was happening now.

He lifted her to gently her feet.

_'Where those memories? Why was I crying, what happened with me Hinata and her father?... I'll figure it out later...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto dropped her hand, receiving a disappointed look from Hinata which quickly vanished so he wouldn't be worried. And she stood next to him. She didn't stand as close as she wanted, but just as close as she dared to.

"I'll take you up on your misunderstood offer." said Naruto suddenly with a blush and a smile.

Hinata smiled and blushed back.

"G-great!" exclaimed Hinata who was expecting him to say yes.

They began to walk to the shop, unknowingly being watched.

"Kisame..." said Itachi.

"Hm?" asked Kisame.

"Do not do anything... mean." said Itachi.

"Hehe... fine." said Kisame.

They sat up in a tree, all of them on different limbs, enjoying their view of the jinkurichi.

"So... how's the weather been for you lately?" asked the ANBU in the tree.

"Pretty good actually... Un." said Deidara.

"Shouldn't you be tracking Sasuke?" asked Itachi.

"No, only three ANBU need to follow him, I will stay here in case Sasuke heads back." said the ANBU.

"Hm... Interesting." said a voice from behind them.

They all turned to see that a man had appeared next to Itachi.

_'Amazing, I didn't even sense his presence or hear him coming.'_ thought Itachi.

"Who's this joker?" asked Kisame with a menacingly toothy smile.

"I am Tyler... also known as Tairaa if you prefer." said the ninja.

The man was about Itachi's height, and was garbed in what could only be described as civilian clothes.

He wore jean pants, and a simple black T-shirt, which caused his tanned white skin-completion to stand out a bit. His eyes were covered by sunglasses not unlike Shino's, and his face couldn't be read, he wore a smirk... or maybe that was just the way his mouth was structured... he was either bored, or happy... he couldn't tell. What bothered Itachi the most, was that his belt that was hidden underneath his shirt, held a strange looking container with a seals all over it. If anything, it looked like a small hollow gourd.

_'He's a ninja, there is no doubt about it, his stealth skills are too great for him to be anything else... But how is he a ninja if he doesn't even carry any gear or stealth clothing?'_ thought Itachi.

"What is your business here, because if you are a spy, I will have to send you to jail." said Itachi.

"Hehe, no I'm not a spy, I'm Leaf!" said Tyler.

Tyler pointed out his Konoha headband. It was in a strange place, instead of being on his arm, head, or leg, a smaller version of the headband was grafted onto his right hand, and it looked as though it couldn't come off.

"I have just reached Jounin level, but I don't really have any friends, to celebrate it with... except this one guy but he's a jerk." said Tyler.

"Why should we believe you?" exclaimed Kisame.

"Kisame." said Itachi firmly.

Kisame calmed down, and rested himself against the tree again.

"We believe that you are telling the truth." said Itachi as his Sharingan twirled back into place.

Deidara smirked, and Kisame chuckled a bit.

"Oh! The Sharingan! That a nice doujutsu! I got a doujutsu, but it isn't really as famous as the Sharingan is..." said Tyler.

"Another doujutsu? Show me." said Itachi as though he weren't giving a choice.

"Sure." said Tyler as he formed the concentration hand-sign.

"Seishougan!" exclaimed Tyler.

His pupils shrunk to unbelievably small sizes, then suddenly grew almost so wide that all of his eyes would have been black if they had enlargened any further.

"Hm. That's interesting, a doujutsu that allows one to see in the dark, correct? Un." asked Deidara.

"Dood guess but no. With this doujutsu, I CAN see in the dark because my eyes take in more light, but it's main purpose is completely different." said Tyler.

"And what it's purpose then?" asked Itachi who obviously looked intrigued.

"I see no reason to tell you, well, see ya." said Tyler.

He made a concentration sign, and dispersed into a white sandy-looking substance.

"Hm. A white-sand-substitution clone." said Kisame.

"That's rare, un." said Deidara.

"Yes, but we must track him, just in case, there was something about him... something that he was trying to hide." said Itachi.

Kisame lazily stood up and nodded his head.

"Alright, I'll follow him, but he moved so damn fast that it won't be easy." said Kisame.

"Stop complaining and just do it, un." said Deidara.

"Alright, you guys check out the possible ballast for fox-boy, and I'll check out Mr. no-gear."

Kisame bounded off, and Itachi left with Deidara to follow Naruto and Hinata.

The ANBU was left in the tree, sitting all by his lonesome.

"(sigh) Doesn't anyone say goodbye anymore..." said the ANBU.

--

At Ichiraku's Teuchi was making Naruto and Hinata Miso-pork ramen, and they sat awkwardly next to each other, waiting for the other to say something.

_'I wish I could be more courageous like Naruto-kun, but I just don't have the back-bone...'_ thought Hinata.

They sat there for awhile until their Ramen was finally ready.

"Alright, finally, Ichiraku ramen!" said Naruto as he exuberantly ate his food.

_'Naruto is so excited, it's so funny to see him so happy.'_ thought Hinata with a smile.

Hinata began to eat her food as well, and they both enjoyed their meals happily. Naruto and Hinata were so absorbed in thier meal, that they didn't even notice a man sneak in behind Naruto.

Teuchi looked surprised for a second, and was going to scream Naruto a warning, but before he could, the man walked to the left of Naruto as stood so that he could see him.

"May I sit here?" asked the man.

"Sure, no problem." said Naruto.

The man smiled, sat next to Naruto, and made an order that almost made Naruto choke.

"One large plain noodle ramen with no seasonings, and no broth." said the man.

Naruto coughed a bit before forcibly swallowing his food.

"Nani?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"That is a strange order sir. so... you just want a large bowl of plain ramen noodles?" asked Teuchi.

"Hai. That would be wonderful." said the man.

Naruto observed the man for a moment before asking him a question.

"Who ARE you?" asked Naruto.

"Sorry for being so rude! My name is Tyler." said the nin as he shook Naruto's hand.

On the other side of the street, Kisame was holding his CBU up to his head, and was talking to Itachi.

"Itachi this is bad! He's right next to Naruto! If he is indeed a spy, he could be a huge threat to everyone!" exclaimed Kisame quietly.

"Alright. I'm on my way to Tsunade's office, I'll contact you as soon as I'm there." said Itachi.

Kisame tried to listen in on their conversation for a second but was interrupted by his CBU.

"What?!" exclaimed Kisame.

"I'm there." said Itachi.

"Your a real ass you know that?" asked Kisame.

"Is that Kisame? What is this about?" asked Tsunade.

"Yeah it's Kisame." said Itachi.

"Ask her Itachi!" exclaimed Kisame.

"Tsunade, do you know of a leaf shinobi by the name of Tyler?" asked Itachi.

"Tyler? Tyler who?" asked Tsunade.

"Uh oh." said Itachi.

"What uh-oh, what?" asked Tsunade.

"She doesn't know his name?!" exclaimed Kisame

"We have an emergency, Naruto is sitting next to a spy." said Kisame.

Tsunade stood up from her chair, and held up the main CBU that went to all frequencies.

"All Konoha nin! Find Naruto Uzumaki! There is an intruder!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Kisame turned down his CBU and hefted his sword onto his shoulder.

'I best be ready for anything...' thought Kisame.

--

Tyler's order had finally gotten done cooking, and Teuchi put his bowl of plain noodles down on the counter.

Naruto, Hinata, and Teuchi all looked over at him strangely, wondering how he could eat such a thing, but they were all surprised when he pulled out a small gourd from underneath his shirt.

And unlike the other flask, this one had a label on it that read: "Satou"

Tyler took the container, popped the cork, and poured a large amount of white sandy-looking stuff onto his Ramen.

The noodle that were still wet with water from cooking, absorbed the substance, and the ramen quickly became a white consistent mush.

Naruto looked at it with disgust, but didn't say anything when the man took a bite and shuddered.

"Oh man I needed that!" exclaimed Tyler.

"Well anyway, I suppose there is no reason to hide my intentions now that I am full." said Tyler.

Naruto immediately reached back onto his pouch, and gripped onto a kunai, waiting for the now suspicious man to reveal his intentions.

"I have come from a long distance to be here Naruto, and i will not be denied." said Tyler.

Tyler then stood up and faced Naruto, and made a movement.

Naruto almost didn't see it, but Tyler reached into his pocket, and pulled out an object.

"I have traveled far, trained harder than ever, gotten into the village hidden in the Leaves, and now, I'm right next to you, all of my work and training comes to fruition!" said Tyler.

Before Naruto could even tell what happened, there was a pen and book in his face.

"Can I have your autograph?" asked Tyler hopefully.

Naruto's jaw dropped, and Hinata felt her head ease a great deal of stress as she rested her head against the counter.

"N-Nani?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"You are the infamous Naruto Uzumaki, are you not?" asked Tyler.

Naruto felt completely relieved, and at the same time excited.

_'He actually wants MY autograph?'_ thought Naruto with glee.

After a moment of collecting himself, Naruto took the book from him, and opened it. It was filled with names, including Tsunade, Sakura, Kiba, and even Kakashi and Shino.

"Wow, why do you have my friends names in you autograph book?" asked Naruto.

"Are you kidding me? Who wouldn't want the famous Konoha 9 groups?!" exclaimed Tyler.

"Heh, nice to have a fan." said Naruto.

"Even nicer to have a friend." said Tyler as he reached out his hand.

"Heh, fine then, friend." said Naruto as he shook his hand.

"(content sigh) Yeah, us Jinchurichi have gotta stick together." said Tyler.

Naruto's eyes widened, and he now carefully observed the man sitting next to him.

_'Jinkurichi?!'_ thought Naruto.

_'This man is like Naruto and Kyuubi?'_ thought Hinata.

Naruto was now very warily staring at his new 'friend' but now, he wasn't sure that it all wasn't just some fake scene to get close to him.

"You... are a jinkurichi?" asked Naruto suspiciously.

"Hm? Yes I am... Does... that bother you?" asked Tyler.

"Which beast?" asked Naruto inquisitively.

"Psuedo six-tail, Rokubi." said Tyler.

"I am just like you, I have had a similar childhood as yours, and we both now how pleasant that was." said Tyler.

Naruto dropped his guard, and decided to trust Tyler.

"What do you mean by... Psuedo? And I thought that that bijuu was called Raijuu, and I thought that the six-tail was dead!" exclaimed Naruto quickly.

"Woah! Lotta questions... Uh okay, Psuedo means that I became a jinkurichi by taking some power of a Bijuu that lingered in an area that it had attacked, and sealing it into my body when I was young, The Bijuu have at least two names, the legendary name, and the name stating the amount of tails, and finally I got my powers when the adults of a village sealed them into my body after the Rokubi attacked, and I'm pretty sure you know of that battle." said Tyler.

Everything that Tyler had said was hard to understand, not because it was complicated, but because he was talking so fast. Naruto took a moment to let it all soak in, then put it all together.

"So... you are just like Sora?" asked Naruto.

"Right. He was made a jinkurichi in the same manner that I was." said Tyler.

"Oop! Looks like I've gotta leave you two love-birds alone, see-ya!" exclaimed Tyler.

He disappeared in a cloud of that same white powder, and Naruto was dumbstruck.

"Love-birds?" asked Naruto with a confused look.

Hinata hid behind her ramen bowl, and turned red.

Suddenly, a large compilation of Jounin, ANBU, and other ninja were surrounding Ichiraku's.

"Uh oh!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand, and they disappeared in a flash of light.

Tsunade jumped into the room to find a dumbstruck Teuchi.

"Um... Can I help you?" asked Ichiraku shakily.

"Damn, were are too late." said Tsunade.

"Yes, I almost had my hands on that brat." said Hiashi.

"Watch yourself Hiashi, I wouldn't be saying that around me. and besides, I looks like you have more to worry about now, there is an intruder amongst us." said Tsunade dramatically.

Hiashi was interrupted by Hanabi who came strolling in happily.

"Hey Teuchi, do you have that Sak'e I..." said Hanabi.

Hanabi looked over to the bar in horror to see her own father and the Hokage herself.

"(sigh) Apparently I do... apparently I do." said Hiashi as he rolled up his sleeves.

--

END OF CHAPTER


	27. A Father's Rage

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie! (By the way in case you didn't know, or you are too lazy to check, this is my first fic I have ever written ever! I have no prior fic-writing experience aside from making this story. Just thought that it was at least slightly interesting...)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

REVIEW PLEASE! Not to be rude, but I NEED reviews to keep this story afloat, as well as to inspire me for a sequel... :3 Yeah that's right, I said it, a sequel! X3 (Though this fic is far from over)

_**Chapter 27:**_

**_A Father's Rage:_**

The Hokage monument was quiet at night, only the peaceful chirping of crickets could be heard on this star-filled night. In between the 3rd's hair, was a small path, that led back behind the Hokage monument, revealing a small hidden patch of flowers and forest. The birds were busy sleeping in their nests among the many branches, and a few squirrels slept in the various nooks and cranies of the tree trunks, all was so peaceful.

(CRACK!!)

Naruto appeared in a loud clapping sound, accompanied by a large flash of light, holding Hinata in his arms.

All of the creatures ran away in a hurry, and one laid on the ground twitching, apparently in some sort of epileptic shock.

Naruto took a quick glance at the squirrel.

_'Must have used too much chakra, otherwise there wouldn't have been any noise, and the flash wouldn't have been nearly as shocking...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto carefully set down Hinata, and quickly ran to the edge of the cliff in between the Sandaime's hair to look over the town. Hinata was quickly at his side, gazing across the town for whatever Naruto was looking for.

"N-Naruto, why did you teleport us away?" asked Hinata.

She thought for a second.

"...How _DID_ y-you teleport us a-away?" asked Hinata.

_'Was it a space/time jutsu?! But that's ridiculous, how could someone master a jutsu like that?!'_ thought Hinata.

Before Hinata could think anymore, Naruto answered her.

"There was suddenly a large amount of chakra surrounding Ichiraku's, and I didn't know whether it was an enemy or not." said Naruto.

Naruto did not want to tell her that he had learned a jutsu of that magnitude, it was essential that this secret be kept to himself, so that it may be used as a last resort, or an unforeseen tactical maneuver. So he dodged the question.

Hinata gazed at her secret love for a second, thinking to herself.

_'Normally, Naruto would have stayed and fought until he couldn't any more, so why did Naruto take us away instead?' _thought Hinata.

She thought to herself for a couple of minutes, but finally decided that she shouldn't pry, and her thinking was interrupted by Naruto's sudden suppressed voice.

"They are all Leaf Ninja, and they appear to be looking for someone... Probably me if they all went to Ichiraku's..." whispered Naruto.

Naruto was slowly but surely figuring it all out on his own, if she didn't tell him soon, he would know anyway, and hate her for not telling him. The mere thought of Naruto hating her made her heart ache, so she decided now was as good as any other time...

"N-Naruto... w-what do you remember from... y-yesterday morning?" asked Hinata.

Naruto paused for a moment, and looked at her, trying to figure out how this was related.

"Hinata, do you know?" asked Naruto.

His tone was not angry or hurt, but the way he said it still made Hinata suddenly feel very guilty.

"Y-Yes, I do." said Hinata while staring at the ground.

Naruto observed her features for a moment, realizing she looked very much like a child who had done something wrong and was about to get in trouble for it. However, Naruto needed to know this information, it was nagging at him all day that he didn't know, so he couldn't pass up this chance.

"Please Hinata, you need to tell me, whatever happened that morning must have been of very... memorable, I have this feeling that I'm missing out on something of great importance..." said Naruto.

Hinata took a deep breath.

_'Alright... here goes everything.'_ thought Hinata bravely.

"D-do you r-remember being In the hospital?" asked Hinata.

"Yeah, but only vaguely." said Naruto.

Hinata did not say anything, but looked kind of relieved that she wouldn't have to tell him EVERYTHING, but at the same time she was nervous of what he already knew.

"I remember waking up to you, and I remember being really tired, and asking you to get off of me so that I could sleep, but after that... nothing." said Naruto.

"I-I s-see. I'll t-try to tell you what happened in the sh-shortest and l-least painful way." said Hinata as she twiddled her fingers.

_'Great, he doesn't remember the most embarrassing part...'_ thought Hinata.

Hinata took a deep breath, and prepared to spill it all out as quickly as possible.

"After you went to sleep I didn't know where I would go, so I slept with you and woke up with us on the floor, and I was improperly dressed Tsunade and Kakashi came in and I had a wardrobe malfunction which you fixed by giving me your jacket and my father walked in on me dressing and assumed the worst, so now there is a bounty on your head for 211,340,000 ryou, and everyone is after your head and its all my fault I'M SORRY!!" exclaimed Hinata as quickly as she could.

Hinata flung herself over and hugged Naruto, begging for his forgiveness.

To Naruto, that was the biggest and fastest run-on sentence he had ever heard, but he took in all of the information accordingly. He was shocked naturally, and was thinking about what she had said about the bounty. After a few moments, Naruto looked down to see that Hinata was in distress, and that she was crying lightly onto his jacket. Naruto was surprised that she felt so badly about this, and he felt bad, that she felt bad, but at the same time, he was happy that she cared.

Naruto placed his arms on Hinata's back to comfort her.

"It's not your fault, so don't say that it is." said Naruto calmly and firmly.

Hinata was shocked for moment, opening her eyes to look into the fabric of his shirt, she wasn't feeling bold enough to look at him at the moment.

"G-gomen N-Naruto-kun." whispered Hinata.

Naruto was simply comforting her and thinking about what she just said until he ran some of Hinata's words through his head again.

_'I didn't know where I would go, so I slept with you and woke up with us on the floor?!'_ thought Naruto with disbelief.

Naruto blushed enormously and looked at the ground in front of him as he continued to hug Hinata, but now only lightly with nervous hands.

"H-H-H-Hinata... D-did we..." stuttered Naruto with a red face.

It took a moment for Hinata to realize what he was getting at, and in turn, she suddenly got very uncomfortable and red.

"N-no!!" exclaimed Hinata.

Hinata jumped away from Naruto, back to her original kneeling position with her hands up, waving a firm no back and forth.

She was going to repetitively deny everything just by instinct and embarrassment, but she saw that Naruto looked taken aback, and kind of depressed and rejected at her negative reaction.

"I-I mean... W-we just s-slept in the same b-bed, we didn't D-DO anything..." stuttered Hinata, trying to make it clear that she didn't want him thinking that she didn't want Naruto around her.

Naruto calmed down a bit, realizing she didn't mean to be hurtful, and thought about the situation as rationally and un-hormonally as possible.

_'Un-hormonally... That's going to be hard...'_ thought Naruto.

_**"Yeah, especially since you are trying to picture her naked..."**_ said Kyuubi with a smirk.

_'I-I am not!!'_ exclaimed Naruto.

_**"Hehe... I would love to see how she would react if I told her the things you are thinking..."**_ said Kyuubi with a smile.

_'You-you wouldn't!' _exclaimed Naruto.

_**"So, you don't deny such thoughts then?"**_ asked Kyuubi with a smirk, knowing that Naruto had been caught.

Naruto just stood there with a blank expression on his face, then mentally scowled at the Bijuu.

_**"Just so you know, I would tell her, but that would ruin the fun of human courtship... Your ridiculous rituals are so humorous to watch...**_" said Kyuubi with a smile.

Before Naruto could say anything back, the Kyuubi laid down and closed his eyes, no doubt pretending to sleep.

"(sigh)"

"Hinata, for starters, why didn't you just go home and sleep?" asked Naruto.

Hinata looked up and saw that he no longer looked hurt, so she rushed to find an answer that would tell him, without actually telling him that she had been banned from her home without honor. Not able to find one, Hinata decided the truth was the best.

"I... (sigh) My father b-banned me from my home, and I... I couldn't g-go anywhere else that I knew of on s-such short notice s-so I... I..." said Hinata as her face flushed.

Hinata was red in the face, but Naruto could also feel mixed sadness from her banishment.

Naruto saw tears in her eyes and felt angered, he reached out to comfort her by putting his hand on her back.

He felt her warmth, kindness, and selflessness flow throughout him. It was really nice, until suddenly, Naruto's vision abruptly changed.

Suddenly Naruto had a flash of memory, he saw Hinata at Ichiraku's with his jacket on, _a blur_, he saw Kyuubi talking to him, _a blur_, and finally, he saw Tsunade and then Shikamaru talking to him, but then his vision faded back to the ground at his feet and he looked over at Hinata.

_**"What was that?!"**_ exclaimed Kyuubi from behind his cage.

_'Another vision... I'm starting to think that these are my memories that I have been seeing... but they aren't complete, it's as though something is stopping them from forming correctly... _

**_"Hmmm... I see. I will look into this a far as I can, tell me if anything weird happens."_** said Kyuubi as he disappeared to the back of his cage.

_'None the less, Hinata is sad, and needs my comfort.'_ thought Naruto.

"I understand." replied Naruto.

They kneeled in an uncomfortable silence, and Hinata fidgeted her fingers.

"So... Hiashi must have figured out a way to bribe various ninja to apprehend me." said Naruto with a frown.

Hinata looked down at the ground in shame that her own father would do such a thing.

"P-possibly, but I'm not sure." said Hinata sadly.

"..."

They sat in another silence, he felt the slight chill of the night, and sensed the awkwardness in Hinata's breathing, so Naruto finally decided to break the awkwardness.

"You know, we will be safe up here. No one will look up here for us... So, we should probably settle down here for the night." said Naruto.

Naruto turned around and started to head back into the clearing, leaving a shocked Hinata frozen in the same position he had left her in.

_'N-Naruto w-wants US t-to sleep here?! Together?!'_ thought Hinata as an inappropriate blush appeared on her face.

Naruto stopped half-way down the path, noticing that Hinata hadn't followed, and turned to face her.

"Unless, you wouldn't enjoy my company..." said Naruto with a sad frown.

Hinata jumped to her feet at his remark, and she quickly went over to him.

"N-no! Of course I enjoy your company!" exclaimed Hinata.

Naruto smiled, and held her hand.

Hinata gasped, but didn't get to be shocked for long as he dragged her back into the clearing.

When Naruto got back into the clearing, to Hinata's displeasure, he let go of her hand, and opened the pouch on his leg to rummage around a bit. He took out a piece of paper with a summoning contract on it.

Naruto bit his thumb, swiped blood over the middle of the summoning contract, and slammed the paper against the ground.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" said Naruto.

In a poof of smoke there appeared a blanket on the ground with a Hyuuga symbol. Hinata was surprised that they blanket was not orange, but instead was the same color as her jacket, a very deep lavender. Hinata wondered why he had a blanket of such a color, but then realized something else. The blanket was too thin. She looked skeptical for a second that the blanket would make much of a difference to the harsh texture and bumps on the ground.

Naruto didn't notice Hinata's expression as he searched the back of the blanket, and pulled out a short tube.

Naruto concentrated his chakra into wind-element, and pushed it into the blanket. To Hinata's surprise, the blanket suddenly became over 6 inches thick, and pillows that rose from the top, making it a complete bed.

"Th-that's really n-neat Naruto-kun, b-but why do you have a blanket with that symbol on it?" asked Hinata as she looked over the mattress.

"Don't know, Pervy sage gave it to me, saying that I might need it one day, then he gave me a big wink for some reason..." said Naruto with a shrug.

Naruto then tied a knot in the tube, and took off his jacket. Hinata blushed for a second, thinking that he was get undressed.

Naruto searched the lining of his coat, and found a zipper. He pulled the zipper from one side of the coat to the the other, and pulled off a very soft black quilt that apparently doubled as the inner lining of his jacket.

Hinata was surprised that Naruto always kept a small quilt under his jacket, but quickly snapped out of her surprised state when she saw how small the blanket was.

"N-Naruto that quilt is t-too thick, and it d-doesn't c-cover enough area." said Hinata.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, and dropped part of the quilt, letting unfold into a lush quilt big enough for a king-size bed.

"Oh." said Hinata, blushing at her quickness to judge.

Naruto took his jacket and folded it into a small square that he put at the foot of the mattress. To Hinata's shock, all in one movement, Naruto jumped out of his pants, took off his shirt, spread out the blanket over himself in mid-air, and landed underneath the blanket on the right side of the mattress, and without another thought, closed his eyes and began to sleep.

Naruto had perfectly spread out the blanket onto the large mattress he had inflated, and purposely left more than enough room for Hinata, and closed his eyes sleepily. Hinata was obviously skeptical that someone could fall asleep in that short amount of time, so she slowly walked up to Naruto.

Hinata got onto her hands and knees and quickly scurried over to Naruto's side. She looked over the right side of the bed that Naruto occupied, to see that his clothes were neatly folded next to each other lining the bed. She noted the clothed, wondering hos eh had folded them in mid-air, but had more important matters on her hands at the moment.

_'I can't fall asleep with him in the same bed! I have to tell him that I don't feel comfortable sleeping with him. But what if he thinks I am rejecting him in some way?... No. Naruto-kun wouldn't be that way, he would be understanding like he always is... wouldn't he?'_ thought Hinata nervously.

"N-Naruto." whispered Hinata as she poked him in the shoulder.

Naruto did not respond, but kept sleeping peacefully.

"Naruto..." said Hinata as she poked him again.

This time she had poked him in the head, and again he didn't respond. She sighed and was about to give up, but then something happened. When Hinata had poked Naruto's head, his hat popped off, revealing his ears as they sprung outward.

(boing)

Hinata blushed and immediately reached out to touch them.

_'They are so furry...'_ thought Hinata.

Hinata stroked them up and down, feeling his ear's warm and smooth texture. She had her share of ear-feeling, and then on a whim, decided to flick one.

In response, Naruto's ears perked up an out for a second, before resting back into place.

Hinata giggled and flicked them again.

_'It's so cute!'_ thought Hinata.

She flicked them again, and again, and again, and she kept quietly giggling at the cute reaction.

Hinata went to flick his ears for the fifth time, and right before she could flick them again, she stopped cold at the sudden sound of a voice.

"Uh, Hinata, could you please stop, I'm trying to sleep." said Naruto.

Hinata leaped backwards off of the bed in surprise, and brought her hands up to her face as though trying to cover herself in embarrassment, even though he still hadn't moved and still hadn't opened his eyes.

_'He was awake the whole time?! Awake! I can talk to him now!'_ thought Hinata quickly as her heart still raced from the sudden scare... and other things...

"N-Naruto, I don't feel as though I can sleep in the same bed as you..." said Hinata truthfully.

Hinata stood in silence, waiting for response, but none came.

Instead, a lengthened and relaxed breathing came from Naruto's mouth as his chest rose calmly up and down.

"He's... really asleep?" asked Hinata quietly.

"Whether he is asleep, or just pretending to be asleep..." said Hinata thoughtfully.

Hinata blushed as she realized that he was only giving her one option.

She hesitated for a moment, but took of her jacket. She folded it in the same manner as Naruto, and put it at the foot of the bed on her side. She wore a tight, black, short-sleeve, under-shirt.

Even though she still had a shirt on, she still felt as though she were inappropriately dressed. She covered herself with her arms, and put her hands in front of her face instinctively. She had followed Naruto's example up to this point, but didn't have the nerve or hormonal capacity to take off her pants like he did.

So with great hesitation, she slowly took a few small steps towards the bed, then stopped and looked at Naruto. When he didn't move, she went a few more steps. No movement. She then quickly shuffled over to the edge of the bed, and flinched as though Naruto was going to immediately reject her. Still no movement from Naruto.

_'This is far too stressful and painful...'_ thought Hinata.

_'Maybe... Just like a band-aid...'_ thought Hinata.

She quickly jumped onto the bed and flew underneath the covers. When Hinata's body hit the bed, it caused the other side of the bed to shoot up for a second, lightly flinging Naruto on top of her.

Hinata turned from just blushing, to a full red face, to her whole body being red. Naruto made no signs of being awake, but just laid on top of her, with his arms sprawled out over both of her sides.

"Na... N-Na... N-Na-Na..." stuttered Hinata in shock.

She was so shocked from the sudden contact, that she couldn't get out a coherent word.

Naruto then began to fidget in his sleep. He felt uncomfortable that he suddenly didn't have a pillow, so began to squirm around on top of Hinata.

Hinata was practically glowing and began to sweat profusely from Naruto's movement.

Naruto's head finally found a soft spot... in between Hinata's breasts.

Hinata didn't think that she could take much more of this, so she tried to pry herself out from Naruto in a fit of squirming, but when she pushed him off of her to her side, his head wasn't comfortable anymore, so he tried to move himself back into place. He wrapped his arms around Hinata, and pulled her in so that his head was rested back into place, then, he rolled so that he was on top of her again.

Hinata's breathing deepened and she found that she felt quite stimulated.

"N-N-Naruto!" breathed Hinata with a completely flushed face.

She finally got out his name, waking up Naruto.

"Huh?... Ughk! What time is it? Who..." said Naruto.

Naruto opened his eyes, and looked saw nothing but black fabric. Naruto moved his hand and searched for a surface to grab so that he could push himself upright, but the first thing he grabbed surprised him. He grabbed something warm, and very soft. Confused, Naruto leaned back enough to see what it was, and nearly jumped when he saw that it was an arm.

'It's so warm... and so is whatever I am laying on... I like it, it feels really good...' thought Naruto.

Naruto then looked up and was shocked to see Hinata's face. She was breathing hard, and her whole face was red. All at once Naruto realized what had happened, where he was, and who he was with.

"Nyah! H-Hinata!" exclaimed Naruto as he jumped off of her back to his side of the bed.

"I'm sorry!! I must have rolled in my sleep! Please, forgive me!" begged Naruto.

Naruto was on his hands and knees with his head bowed in shame and embarrassment.

Hinata waited to get as calm as she could get after a situation like the one she just went through. She saw that Naruto did not mean to do what he did. She figured that he never meant to do it in the first place, but now he was on his hands and knees begging for her forgiveness.

"N-Naruto, I-I'm sure that you d-didn't mean to... d-do... what y-you did." said Hinata with a blush.

Naruto got up from his begging position, and stared at the bed in embarrassment.

Neither of them could possibly dare to make eye contact with each other.

"..."

A silence passed between them, although they seemed silent and peaceful, both of their minds were racing.

_'How far did I get? Did I touch anything else?!'_ thought Naruto worriedly.

_'Does he know how I feel? He saw my face when he was touching me, I couldn't help it... aside from being embarrassed... I really enjoyed it.'_ thought Hinata.

She felt as though Naruto were staring at her, judging her. He had already fondled her and slept with her in bed twice now, both times were too much for Hinata to bare, but this time, she didn't faint yet.

Naruto was not judging her, but wasn't even looking at her, he couldn't bring himself to even look up.

_'She said that it was no big deal, but she could have been just saying that to be nice... She probably hates me.'_ thought Naruto sadly.

"..."

"Hinata..." said Naruto quietly.

"Y-yes?" asked Hinata.

"D-Did you... Was I... Was it... What did I do?" asked Naruto as he continued to stare at the quilt.

Hinata quickly looked to see his face, but he wasn't looking at her, he was still blushing towards the bed covers.

"Y-you s-snuggled up against m-me, a-and and you r-r-rested your head against m-me." stuttered Hinata.

Naruto remembered the black fabric he saw when he woke up, and knew that Hinata was wearing a black undershirt. He knew what he rested his head against. He also knew that it was too hard for her to say anymore, so he didn't pry.

"I'm still say that I'm sorry for doing that... Hinata" said Naruto.

Naruto felt awkward, and didn't really know what to say aside from that.

The case seemed to be the same for Hinata as a silence past between the two ninja, beofre being abruptly broken from a voice to the right of the bed.

"Hey." said a voice.

Naruto and Hinata both jumped from the bed in surprise and looked around for the source of the noise.

Hinata, easily having the better eyes, saw the source immediately, but couldn't believe what she was seeing.

The squirrel that was knocked unconscious from Naruto's flash, was standing up next to their bed and facing them, waving joyously.

"What the hell?" asked Naruto.

"W-What? Is it that s-squirrel who said it?" whispered Hinata.

Despite being conscious the squirrel was still shaking almost violently, but in a controlled manner, almost as though in patterned intervals. The squirrel had a confused look on it's face when it observed their obviously shocked faces, but then smiled and chuckled a bit in spite of his forgetfulness.

"Oh how silly of me! Forgot I was a squirrel!" exclaimed the squirrel quickly.

Before they could react, the squirrel startled them from their thoughts by concentrating his chakra so quickly it didn't really seem possible.

The squirrel made a single hand sign, and erupted in a small, yet ridiculously violent and long explosion.

(Boooooooooooooom)

"Holy crap! What the?!" exclaimed Naruto.

It could only be described as an Atom bomb exploding, but at a very small and harmless scale, and strange enough, even though it was an explosion, it was not very loud, it could easily have been drowned out by their voices alone.

After a few seconds passed the explosion abruptly stopped, and in a very small plume of smoke that followed, a man appeared.

The plain clothes, the two sealed containers at his side being his only noticeable equipment, the brown curly hair covered by a black hat, Naruto immediately recognized him.

"You!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Yes me." said Tyler quickly with a twitch.

"I wanted to get Lady Hinata's signature in my book, but couldn't when our meal was interrupted, so when you came here, I followed you." said Tyler quickly.

The two were speechless. Speechless by the fact that he was just an epileptic squirrel, the fact that he was twitching alot even now that he wasn't a squirrel, and the fact that he went through such trouble to get her signature baffled the Hyuuga heiress, as well as the blond shinobi. Although... it was kind of flattering.

Tyler threw the book rather quickly at her, but she caught it.

She blinked at the book for a moment before opening it. She found a place reserved for her signature, it was an entire lavender page, and had a Hyuuga symbol adorned at the top, with a line for her signature. She thought for a second just how much time he must have put into this book, but recomposed her thoughts, and signed her name.

Hinata held the book out to him, and was surprised when the book suddenly seemed to disappear. One second it was in her hand, the next, it was gone.

She looked up from her hand to see that Tyler had already taken the book back and was beaming happily at the new signature in between random twitches.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Tyler's composure went from quick and twitchy, to calm and composed.

He bowed deeply until he was down on one knee, with his head bowed down as well.

"I humbly thank you for such a generous gift, how can I ever express my need to take action on my desired condolences transpired from your actions?" said Tyler humbly and clearly without a single twitch or a rushed word.

Surprised for a moment neither leaf nin said anything, until Hinata finally spoke up.

"P-Please, you don't n-need to thank me, it was r-really no trouble at-at all." stuttered Hinata who was embarrassed at the praise and sudden formality.

"No really Lady Hinata I insist... Oh! I am aware of our little impass and require your imput on a new resolution that I have surmised." said Tyler with a smile.

"What?" asked Naruto.

"I-I believe that he has an idea of how h-he can repay m-me, but he w-wants to know if we think it is alright." explained Hinata.

"Oh." said Naruto.

_'What the hell?! A second ago, this guy was a loose cannon, now he has a sophisticated and calm persona...' _thought Naruto.

Tyler still kept his head bowed, and Naruto could not read his face, the only thing he could see, was the top of his black baseball cap that seemed to block his face from view.

"Please, get up, if you are so adamant that you need to repay her, then stand and express your ideas." said Naruto.

"Thank you humbly, Lord Uzumaki." said Tyler as he stood up ad smiled at them.

_'Lord?'_ thought Naruto and Hinata.

"Please, accept this." said Tyler.

He reached his hand into his pocket, and tossed something lightly to Hinata.

She caught it with both hands, and opened them to find a strange looking whistle. It was completely metallic black with small tints of green in no significant pattern.

After observing the trinket for a few seconds, Hinata looked up to Tyler with a questionable face.

"If you ever find yourself in a tight spot, just blow the whistle." said Tyler with a trusting smile.

Hinata looked back down at the whistle, smiled at Tyler, then pocketed it.

"Thank you, this will do fine as payment." said Hinata returning a small smile.

She didn't feel as though he owed her anything in the first place, but she accepted it gladly as long as it made the guy feel better.

Tyler smiled, but suddenly frowned and moved his head quickly towards town.

"You will be safe here, 267 patterns of movement in the nin, all significant in their standard searching process, you will be left alone if you spend the night here." said Tyler quickly.

"I suggest you two get to bed and get rested up, and don't worry about privacy, nobody really ever comes up here in the first place, and I will be quite a distance away from here for you to worry about me." said Tyler.

Before they could respond, Tyler's arm quickly fell off.

It fell downward much faster then it should have, and hit the ground, disintegrating into small fine particles of that same white powder.

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Naruto, pointing at white stuff in shock.

Tyler did not seem to be fazed at all by this happening, but instead just smiled at the two.

"Goodnight, I will see you soon enough." said Tyler.

He then fully turned into the powder, and it again fell much too quickly to the ground. The particles quickly seeped into the soil, leaving the two to gawk at the strange man's odd method of leaving.

"..."

"So... I guess we should trust his logic, and get back to bed?" asked Naruto.

Hinata blushed, and looked back over to the bed that they had both shared just minutes ago.

"Y-yes, I b-believe we sh-should." stuttered Hinata bravely.

Naruto was yet again the first one to enter the bed, but this time, Naruto scooted over so that he was almost falling off the bed, but acted as though he didn't mind.

Hinata saw his kind gesture, and blushed all the more.

It still didn't make it easy for her to get into bed with Naruto, especially when he was looking right at her.

Naruto realized that she was nervous under his gaze, and decided to help her along.

Naruto closed his eyes, yawned while stretching out his arms, and rolled over so that he was no longer facing her.

"Thank you... Naruto." whispered Hinata.

Unbeknownst to Hinata, a seemingly sleeping Naruto smiled at the gesture that wasn't meant to be heard.

"Good night... Hinata." whispered Naruto in return.

--

The next morning went surprisingly fast for Tsunade, although she wasn't sure that was a good thing.

"Reporting in Hokage!" said an ANBU from his kneeling position on the floor in front of her desk.

"Yeah, what is it already?" scowled Tsunade impatiently.

The fact that the intruder had not only gotten into Konoha undetected, but also disappeared without a trace, made Tsunade angry, but what really had her steamed was the fact that Naruto had gone missing as well.

_'Grrrrr! I can't just assume that Naruto was kidnapped by this man, but all of the evidence points towards it.'_ thought Tsunade angrily.

The ANBU member looked taken aback from the outburst for a second, but began his report regardless.

"We have traced the village, starting with Naruto's most frequently visited places to the least, and have found no trace of him, this alleged Tyler, or Lady Hinata." said the ANBU.

"Damn!" exclaimed Tsunade.

She had no evidence to prove that Hinata was even involved along with Naruto's disappearance, but she was filed missing by her father just days ago. She overlooked her being missing up until now, because she knew Hinata's predicament at home. She respected her personal space enough to leave her alone until she decided to go back home to her father, but now she had no choice but to see if the two disappearances were related.

"What about this Tyler, what did you dig up on him?" asked Tsunade with hope.

"We have searched though the Konoha archives as well as the Konoha Bingo book, and couldn't find anyone of that name." said the ANBU.

"Damn, this is just getting worse and worse..." said Tsunade.

"Alright, keep the search up, we want this guy captured for questioning, and our two chunin back safely." said Tsunade.

"Hai Hokage-sama." said the ANBU.

He disappeared and left Tsunade to think.

_'(sigh) I hope they're alright...'_ thought Tsunade.

She began to look through several archives to see if they had missed anything, but found nothing, in frustration she knocked everything off of her desk onto the floor.

She then sighed and went to go pick it up. As she piled the things together, she noticed that a book was laying amongst the mess, opened to a certain page.

In curiosity, she put down what she had already gathered, and went over to the book. It was a bingo book, but not the Konoha bingo book. This one was simply THE bingo book that contained information of missing ninja or otherwise from around the world.

_'Well, he said that he checked Konoha's bingo book... but...'_ thought Tsunade.

She brought the book onto her desk and turned on her lamp for extra light to read.

The page was opened to a man who was adorned with a sweatshirt, and a black baseball cap. The style looked weird to her, so it caught her attention long enough for her to be interested. She looked down at his stats.

"WARNING: DO NOT APPROACH, DO NOT PROVOKE!"

Tsunade blinked for a second at the warning and continued. She looked down further and was shocked to discover that he had no stats, just a height and weight.

"That is strange, he has no stats... and the only reason that would happen would be because he isn't seen enough to be properly described... or rather, nobody lives long enough to report what they have seen..." said Tsunade.

Why hadn't she noticed this man before, surely the warning in bold bright red letters at the top of the page would have attracted her attention at least once before.

Now she was really curious, she ventured her vision to bottom of the page to read his name.

"Satou, Tyler."

"..."

"Tyler... Satou... What an odd name... wait, Tyler? TYLER?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Oh my God. TYLER!!" screamed Tsunade.

She remembered the name that Itachi had told her, and put two and two together.

_'With a rare name like Tyler, there's no way that this is just a coincidence...' _thought Tsunade.

Shizune heard her scream and came rushing in from the hall.

"Shizune, call an immediate meeting, this could be bad..." said Tsunade.

--

At the Hyuuga compound, Kiba was mercilessly trying to get into the mansion, but kept getting thrown out.

_'Damn it all, they won't let me see Hinata! I will have to get in the old fashion way...'_ thought Kiba.

Kiba had been training Houkou how to speak Canine for many days, and was making progress, but decided to take a break to see how Hinata was doing.

He wasn't actually taking a break, but rather, he had snuck away before Houkou could wake up. It was so early that the sun had not yet risen.

'Damn that girl is clingy, and she's an early waker too...' thought Kiba.

Thoughts of the Raikage that were stewing in his mind began to make him blush, so he shook his head, and tried to keep himself focused.

Although Kiba was tired and groggy, he was too determined to back down now, no matter how much his mind was wandering. Kiba made the proper hand signs and used henge. In a poof of smoke, he transformed into an object he was sure would get by undetected.

--

Two Guards stood outside the short stone path that lead into the Mansion's front door, both of them facing the gate on either side of the path.

As they sat, enjoying the solitude, there was suddenly a sound from the other side of the gate. Both guards were now fully attentive and ready for anything, although they did not move from their casual standing positions.

Suddenly a small oak tree, using it's roots, walked up to the gates and opened them. The tree walked right past the guards, and opened the front door, squeezing itself in and shutting the door behind it, leaving leaves all over the ground.

"..."

"That seem odd to you?" asked one guard.

The second guard took out a bottle of whiskey from his pocket looked at it for a moment and quickly dumped its contents out onto the ground.

"I didn't see anything if you didn't see anything..." muttered the other guard as he rubbed his eyes with his free hand.

Kiba released the henge and continued into the mansion.

He was making good progress towards Hinata's room until he suddenly saw none other than Hiashi Hyuuga coming his way.

_'Crap! Why him of all people!?'_ thought Kiba.

Kiba quickly looked around for a room to duck into, but there was nothing, the only thing that was in the hall was a chair which sat next to a lamp on a nightstand against the left wall.

_'Crap, he's getting closer, I'm going to get caught!' _thought Kiba.

At the last second, Kiba took the lamp shade, stuck it over his head, and stood stiff next to the chair against the wall.

Hiashi walked down the hall and was getting really close. Her appeared to be reading something, and was squinting at some sort of fine print.

Kiba held his breath as the Head Hyuuga walked up right next to him, and stopped.

_'Crap! He's seen through my ruse!'_ thought Kiba nervously.

Hiashi squinted at the paper in front of him, and realized he needed more light, he reached underneath Kiba's lamp shade, and pulled down on his nose.

For a split second, Kiba didn't react, but then realized what Hiashi was doing.

"Click." said Kiba.

Hiashi frowned at the lamp since no light came from it.

"I must need to change the bulb." muttered Hiashi.

Hiashi continued his walk down the hall, and turned off into one of the many corridors, leaving Kiba extremely relieved.

"Phew... That was close." said Kiba.

He put the lamp shade back onto the lamp, and continued down the hall. He went past the kitchen and went into the first door on the right.

He opened the door and took one step into the room, and stopped in shock at what was before him.

Hanabi was sprawled out on the floor with several bottles of Sak'e littering her presence.

"Shiiiit." slurred Hanabi.

She stumbled to her feet and wobbled over to Kiba.

"Don' te... hic! tell nobody... Or I w... hic! Will tell mmmmy father you... you were herrrre." slurred Hanabi.

Kiba blinked for a second, then nodded his head.

"Okay, I won't tell, but in return, could you please tell me where Hinata is?" asked Kiba.

"Don' know... Sheeee hasn't been heeere for daaaysssss." slurred Hanabi.

Hanabi suddenly lost balance and fell onto her butt laughing.

_'Days?'_ thought Kiba.

"Do you know where she could be?" asked Kiba hopefully.

"Hmmmmmm... Knnnnowing h... hic! Her... She is prrrobably at Uuuzumaki's g-gettin' sssome." giggled Hanabi as her slurring got worse.

"What?!" exclaimed Kiba.

"Hehe... N-nothin'... nothin' atall'..." slurred Hanabi.

"Goooood I've got the munchieeeeees..." slurred Hanabi as she slowly tried to stand.

She almost got to a full stand, but as soon as she got to her feet, she fell over and fell asleep on the floor with her mouth wide open.

"..."

"God... This family is full of weird people..." said Kiba.

He closed the door and locked it in case Hiashi happened to walk by, and started to walk down the hall.

_'If she hasn't been here, then I have get out of here quickly so that I'm not seen by Hiashi.'_ thought Kiba.

Kiba made his way down the hall, and found the front door, but before he went to it, he noticed a light that came from a door on the left side of the corridor that was wide open. Kiba peered through the crack in the hinges, and saw Hiashi reading what looked like some kind of files.

_'Damn, if he sees me walk by, then I'll be screwed!'_ thought Kiba.

_'Time for a disguise...'_ thought Kiba.

--

Hiashi was sitting in his chair, reading the files he was supposed to review and re-file.

_'This is taking forever, but it does keep my mind off of Hinata... but only a little...'_ thought Hiashi.

He had been worried sick about his daughter ever since she didn't come home the night they got back from the mission.

"Based on the price I put on the Uzumaki's head, it shouldn't take very long for him to be brought into custody." said Hiashi to nobody in particular.

"How dare that boy take Hinata away from me! He will pay for his insolence!" seethed Hiashi to nobody again.

"My daughter is so timid, he will probably try to take advantage of her..." said Hiashi as he clenched his fists.

"That boy will get what is coming to him. If I find out that he has even so much an touched my daughter anywhere on her body, I WILL have his head." growled Hiashi.

--

Outside of the door, Kiba had heard everything, and couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I knew that Hiashi put a bounty on Naruto's head, but I had no idea the baka was trying to sleep with her..." seethed Kiba as he clenched his fists.

"I gotta get to Shino..." said Kiba.

He performed the right hand signs.

_'Henge!'_ thought Kiba.

Hiashi sat in his chair, stewing in his worry and anger, and didn't even notice his lamp shade walk out the door.

--

Naruto and Hinata had slept the entire night without another interruption, and Hinata was glad. She awoke from her sleep, and rubbed her eyes, getting used to the bright light in her eyes.

She wondered how she had actually slept the whole night in the same bed as Naruto, but she decided it was probably because he had given her so much room.

"Mmmnnn..." moaned Hinata as she stretched out her arms.

She was still too tired to get up from her laying position, and was actually in favor of going back to sleep.

She went to look over at Naruto, and was shocked to find that he was gone.

In shock and worry, she tried to sit up from her laying position, but found that she couldn't move her butt.

She looked down at her waist line to find out why.

During the night, Naruto must have progressed himself across the bed, and stuck his hand down her pants.

Her entire face blushed, and on instinct of being pervertedly violated, even though it was Naruto, she scrunched his eyes shut, and hit him harshly on the head in response.

"OW!! What the?!" exclaimed Naruto in pain as he quickly sat up.

His vision was still blurred from sleep, so he went to rub his eyes. He found that he couldn't move his right hand, and quickly found out why.

"Gah! Hinata!" exclaimed Naruto.

He quickly tried to pry his hand out, found it was caught on some fabric. In his rush to take out his hands, he didn't bother carefully remove his hand, so he just yanked it out.

"Gah!!" squeaked Hinata loudly.

Naruto backed up from Hinata to begin apologizing, and he put his hands open-palmed in front of him to defend himself. But he stopped dead when he saw what was on his hand, and realized why Hinata had squeaked in such a way.

In his right hand, there was a skimpy pair of lavender panties.

"..."

Naruto paused for moment to comprehend the severity of the situation.

"Oh my God!!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto had no idea what to say to the girl. Hinata had an extremely red skin tone, accompanied by an unbelieving and embarrassed open-mouthed stare at what was in his hand.

Both of their eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

Out of another instinct, Hinata flew from the bed, and away from Naruto. She hid behind a tree to calm herself.

Naruto was left spilling out apologies the the pantie-less Hyuuga heiress, until he realized that he still had the her unmentionable in his possession.

He blushed and on instinct was going to throw it to the other side of the bed, but stopped.

_'It's still warm...'_ thought Naruto as he blushed some more.

_'And they're wet?'_ thought Naruto.

Before Naruto knew what he was doing, or before he realized it was wrong, he brought the undergarments up to his nose and took in a whiff.

Naruto breathed deep, and took in Hinata's scent. He already had her scent in memory, and her's was by far his favorite scent, but even though this was Hinata's scent, it was... different.

_'It's so... arousing.'_ thought Naruto.

As the word arousing appeared in his mind, it was then he realized how perverted and wrong it was.

He had already apologized to Hinata about twenty times, but he understandably got no response every time. Regardless, he stood up from the bed, and then he realized something.

_'Wait, we are on my side of the bed... so that means that she...'_ thought Naruto with a blush.

"Hinata... I know this is really awkward... but I want the awkwardness to be gone, I'm going to leave your... things... on the bed, and I will give you twenty minutes to get ready for my return." said Naruto.

Finally, Hinata gave a response.

"O-Okay"

It was near silent, he almost didn't hear it.

Naruto nodded with a blush, and traveled farther inward to more deeper parts of the forest. He noticed that the terrain started to level out, and he heard the running of fresh water.

"That's exactly what I need, a VERY _cold_ bath." said Naruto with his blush still present.

Naruto got off his clothes, folded them neatly within reach, and quickly jumped into the cold water.

"Gah... That's really cold..." said Naruto as he tried to adjust himself to the temperature.

_**"AH! AH!! Jesus Christ!! Oh your God!!"**_ screamed Kyuubi suddenly.

At the abrupt sound of Kyuubi's voice, Naruto nearly jumped out of the water.

"Oh my God, What?! What?!" asked Naruto frantically.

**_"J-J-Jesus kit... I t-told you to warn m-me the n-next time you d-do that..."_** stuttered the Kyuubi with the sound of chattering teeth.

"What? Oh sorry..." said Naruto as he lowered himself back into the water.

Naruto forgot that Kyuubi, having an affinity to the fire-based element, didn't like cold temperatures, he should have remembered, he had experienced previous outbursts from his Bijuu before.

"So, how is the research going?" asked Naruto.

**_"I said I would look into it, but things like this take time."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto shrugged, and accompanied himself to the cold temperature of the water.

Naruto sat himself down on the stream's bedrock, and got himself to start thinking.

"Okay... okay. At this age my thinking is too erratic and decisive, I don't nearly do as much thinking on a matter as I should before I make a final decision." said Naruto.

"I have embarrassed, dismayed, and based on her clan, I've probably dishonored her as well..." said Naruto with a small blush.

_'I can't believe that happened...'_ thought Naruto.

"I have to make amends... and I have got to try and get used to Hinata being my training partner as well..." said Naruto.

After a few minutes of soaking, he decided that he should get out.

Naruto was about to get out of the water, scanning the ground quickly, he found his clothes. But something caught his eye, and he quickly stopped his accent out of the water.

He saw blue shoes, they were the same as his, except these were occupied by a pair of soft and beautifully pale-skinned feet.

Naruto scanned up the body to find Hinata, she was dressed, but despite that fact, she had a huge blush.

"N-Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

Naruto realized that he was naked, and quickly emerged himself back into the water.

"H-Hinata!" exclaimed Naruto.

It was basically the pantie incident all over again.

Although Naruto was lucky that he still had his waste below water when he caught her in his vision.

Hinata quickly flipped around, bowed her head, and frantically apologized.

While Hinata was doing this, Naruto regained his composure, dried himself off and redressed himself.

Naruto walked quietly over to Hinata, and put his hands on her shoulders.

She jumped at his touch, and looked up from her bowing and apologizing.

"Don't worry about it, this just makes us more even than before." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata was shocked at first, but realized what he was saying.

"It was an accident, and I still feel really bad about it... and I want to make it up to you." said Naruto.

Hinata was still blushing, and she couldn't believe that he was the one trying to make amends.

"Hinata, after we go train some, I'll treat you to dinner." said Naruto.

Hinata's blush dramatically darkened in shade.

_'D-dinner? Like a date?!'_ thought Hinata.

She couldn't believe it, Naruto was asking her on a date!

"D-Dinner?" asked Hinata.

She still hadn't gained the courage to turn around, and she started to twiddle her fingers.

"Yeah, It's no big deal, I mean, what's a meal between friends?" asked Naruto rhetorically with a smile.

Hinata's heart took a hit, but she was still happy.

_'Oh well, at least I'm still getting to spend more time with him.'_ thought Hinata as she turned around.

"S-sure, I'd love to." said Hinata.

Her statement wasn't bold, but it wasn't weak either, she was getting a little bit better at talking to him.

Naruto smiled and walked up beside her. They turned and headed back towards the little clearing they slept in that crazy night before.

--

Back at the Hyuuga compound, Hiashi was losing his nerve.

He was out in the front yard of the Hyuuga gates, and he still hadn't heard word from anyone about the whereabouts of his daughter.

Aside from that, He had caught Hanabi drunk off her ass, and revoked all of her privileges. He then sent her to the hospital to be treated.

He thought that his day couldn't get any worse, but then it turned out that the Hyuuga guards that had been patrolling out front had been drunk, they said something about walking trees and lamp-shades, he had never heard of anything so ridiculous!

Aside from all of that on his shoulders, there was something else that kept biting away at his mind. The bounty he had put on that brat's head was more than enough to get the effort needed his apprehension. And yet absolutely nothing had turned up, by now that Kyuubi-brat could have had his way with her...

Hiashi, as her father couldn't stand the thought of his daughter being defiled in such a way.

Hiashi pulled out a small summoning contract from his sleeve, bit his thumb, spread the blood, and slammed the paper into the ground.

"If you want something done right..." said Hiashi.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Hiashi lifted his hand from the ground, and with it, came a metal staff. The staff had no patterns or colors, and was simply the color of the metal it was made of. The staff's shape was also nothing special, it simply appeared to be a steel pole.

"Then do it yourself." said Hiashi with a scowl.

--

Hiashi jumped from roof top to roof top, bounding his way towards his target.

_'How could I have let this happen...'_ thought Hiashi.

While Hiashi was thinking, Sai came up from below on the street and jumped along-side him.

"How could I have been so foolish?" asked Hiashi to nobody.

"The human mind is easily fooled into a state of false security." said Sai as they continued to jump.

"How could I let that brat get to her?" growled Hiashi.

"Psychologically, you mustn't let everything that goes wrong fall onto your shoulders..." said Sai.

"How could she have been taking right out from under my nose?" scowled Hiashi.

"I'm not sure that there is any data that is relevant to woman and nasal cavities..." said Sai.

"..."

"Why do you keep doing that?!" exclaimed Hiashi angrily.

"Don't know." said Sai truthfully.

"Well stop it!" shouted Hiashi.

"Okay." said Sai.

Sai jumped down from the roof tops, and landed in the street.

"Oh God it's him!" exclaimed a man.

"Who? Oh God it's him!! Everyone scatter! It's the guy who follows you around all day, giving you advice from a book!" exclaimed a woman.

Hiashi could hear everyone frantically running around on the streets.

"God help us!" exclaimed a man who got cornered.

Everyone's panicked voiced died down as he got farther away, and regardless, he reached his target.

Hiashi finally stopped at the last place he saw the Kyuubi brat.

He stood on the roof across the street, and saw that there were only two people at the restaurant aside from the proprietor and his daughter, a women and a man, sitting at the bar with their bowls of ramen.

_'There's two people there, but not the two I'm looking for...'_ thought Hiashi.

(grrrrrrnnnnn)

Hiashi stomach growled loudly, telling him it was time to get some proper nourishment.

"Hm... I am already here, I might as well try whatever this ramen stuff is..." said Hiashi.

Being the child destined to be clan head, Hiashi had always been treated to rich culinary cuisine and optimum nutrition, but he had never stooped as low to eat such a "commoner food." But he had seen and heard of his daughter eating there on several occasion, more than he could count.

"Well, if Hinata likes it, I suppose that I can at least try some." said Hiashi.

He dropped down onto the street, and paused for a moment before moving the draped out of his way before entering the establishment.

Hiashi paused for a moment, and sat down on the other side of the man.

He sat down, and nobody seemed to acknowledge his presence. It didn't bother him, the couple eating were preoccupied with each other, and the owner seemed to be busy making some sort of thick broth in a large pot.

Ayame, after a moment, stopped what she was doing when she noticed his presence.

"What will you have good sir?" asked Ayame with a smile.

This put off Hiashi, but not in a bad way. Her happy demeanor confused him, she was working, and yet she seemed so happy to serve.

Hiashi quickly shook it out of his mind and answered the nice girl.

"I will have whatever you recommend." said Hiashi.

"Very well sir, but I leave all recommendations to the chef." said Ayame with a smile.

Teuchi chuckled a bit at his daughter calling him chef instead of father. He turned around and nearly dropped his stirring spoon.

"L-Lord Hiashi?!" exclaimed Teuchi.

The couple next to Hiashi, were now looking nervously over at him, and they were now quietly whispering to each other, although Hiashi didn't mind it.

"Lord?!" exclaimed Ayame who was now wide-eyed. In most if not all villages, Lord were considered high royalty, right up there with the Sannin and the Kage.

Hiashi expected as much, but couldn't blame them.

"Yes." said Hiashi.

"What is a person of your standing doing at my humble shop?" asked Teuchi with a low bow.

"I've heard from a reliable source that you serve good food here, so I thought that I would seek the truth." said Hiashi.

"I am humbled to serve you." said Teuchi with another bow.

"Thank you, but if you don't mind, I am nearly famished." said Hiashi.

Hiashi took his staff and set it down against the counter.

The woman on the other side of the man next to Hiashi was now staring at the staff with wide-eyed horror. The woman tugged on the man's sleeve, and he nodded. They got up and quickly left the shop, leaving the money on the counter.

Hiashi wondered what their hurry was, and decided that he probably shouldn't look into it too much.

--

Across the street, two figured dashed across the street, not gaining too much attention from any of the citizens that dotted the streets.

They slipped into an alleyway, both panting hard, as the man held her up against himself, and put his back flat against the wall as to try and hide her, and keep her safe.

"That was ridiculously close, what are the odds that he would come to Ichiraku's?" asked the man.

"I'm not sure why he was there... It is very odd." said the woman.

"Well, that ruins that plan, I guess we'll have to go somewhere else. We'll have to pass the ramen shop again, but as long as we are disguised like this, and move by him quickly , we shouldn't have any problem." said the man.

The woman nodded and they stepped out of the alley, and headed down the street. The man felt his heart pounding as he neared the ramen shop, knowing he was in danger.

Just before they got to the shop, the man looked across the street next to the ramen shop to see a picture titled _"Reward for capture or otherwise of Naruto Uzumaki"_ amount rewarded:** /(:;((((211,340,000 ryou.))));:)\**

The man nudged the woman lightly and pointed out the poster.

"That Uzumaki fellow looks like he has alot of trouble coming his way." said the man.

"Yes, it appears so." said the woman.

--

Hiashi sat in the shop, just finishing his ramen.

"That was very good, I will most definitely come here again sometime." said Hiashi.

He got up from the bar, and grabbed his staff, leaving the establishment.

He walked out into the street, to see that the two that were at the bar, were walking down the street in his direction.

_'Weren't they just in a hurry? And in the other direction too... Something just isn't right here...'_ thought Hiashi.

As the two neared him, he realized that there was something familiar about them, but he just couldn't put his finger on what was so recognizable about them. Hiashi walked right up to the two, stopping them.

"Excuse me, Sir, Miss, I remembered that you were sitting next to me in that ramen shop, and now that I ran into you again, there is something familiar about you two... Do I know you?" asked Hiashi.

The two looked really nervous, and uncomfortable with is presence.

"No, I don't believe we have met before... My name is... Arashi... Arashi Sodai... and this is my wife, Hinnari." said the man.

_'Something isn't right here, his heart rate is elevated, and so is hers'_ thought Hiashi.

He observed the girl and noticed that her face was red, and she was staring at the ground.

_'Especially hers...'_ thought Hiashi.

"Nice to meet you." said Hiashi as he extended his hand for a handshake.

The man looked questionably at his hand.

_'He is very nervous, and when he said his name, he paused as tough he didn't know what it was, then he rushed when he said his name, as though he just made it up on the spot.'_ thought Hiashi.

Hiashi still had his hand extended before the man finally reached out and shook it.

Hiashi smirked.

When his hand met with the man's he quickly sent a wave of chakra into the man's body.

"Release!" shouted Hiashi.

The man exploded in a small poof of smoke, and so did the woman.

_'I knew it, the man was holding a henge jutsu over the both of them.'_ thought Hiashi.

When the smoke cleared, Hiashi was shocked.

There still gripping his hand, was Naruto, with a shocked Hinata standing next to him.

"N-Naruto?!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Naruto let go of his hand, and jumped to the side and stood in front of Hinata.

"Hinata?" asked Hiashi with wide open eyes.

_'What?! This doesn't make any sense! Why is Hinata here, with HIM, he doesn't have tied up or anything...'_ thought Hiashi.

Hinata looked shocked as ever, and looked to be quite stiff, not knowing what to do.

Hiashi frowned angrily at Naruto.

_'He has corrupted her...'That is the only explanation.'_ thought Hiashi.

Suddenly Hiashi tensed up and strong pressure emanated off of him and floated through the air, surrounding Naruto.

Naruto felt it, then he felt an impending force gather on his chest.

Naruto grabbed Hinata in a hug, and rolled out of the way.

"Air Palm!" shouted Hiashi.

Naruto looked behind him to see that there was a huge gash in the brick wall behind him, right where his chest would have been.

Naruto quickly looked back at Hiashi, and then to Hinata.

_'Looks like he wants to fight, I should bring it away from everyone.'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto looked Hiashi right in the eyes and smirked.

Hiashi looked taken aback at such insolence, and before he could react, Naruto disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Hiashi then looked to Hinata and she didn't look him in the eyes.

Hinata closed her eyes, and turned into a cup of instant ramen.

"...Grrrrr! Damn him!" shouted Hiashi.

"BYAKUGAN!!" shouted Hiashi.

He activated his doujutsu, pumping enough chakra to quickly scan the village, even if it was only just the outside of the buildings. But he found what he wanted regardless.

"Found you! Shunshin!" shouted Hiashi.

Hiashi blurred into the air and flew as fast as he could towards the forest near the Hokage monument.

Hiashi appeared on the branch of a tree, staff at the ready. He was expecting Naruto to hide then try to surprise him. But he did surprise him ironically. He surprised Hiashi by standing right in the open, on a branch opposite of him. Naruto was standing only a few meters away from him, not showing any signs of cockiness or superiority, but instead he had a frown on his face, with his hands out in front of him, protecting what was behind him.

Hiashi looked his opponent up and down, until he noticed a tan colored sleeve on his side.

It was Hinata, he wouldn't have even noticed she was there, because she was hiding behind him.

"Hinata! Stop this foolishness! Come back home at once!" shouted Hiashi.

To Hiashi distaste, she didn't come over to him, but instead, she shook her head, and hid farther behind Naruto.

Hiashi then directed his glare at Naruto, and to his annoyance, the boy didn't seem at all intimidated by his presence.

'He is being cocky by not showing fear, I happen to know that when he was angered in the Hokage's office that day, he must have used Kyuubi's chakra, and made it look like it was his, there is no other explanation!' thought Hiashi.

"What have you done to her?!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Naruto gave him a confused look, but it was quickly replaced by his angry frown again.

"I've done nothing to Hinata, and she has done nothing wrong." said Naruto, defending Hinata.

Hinata looked surprised that he had defended her, and from behind the blond ninja, she blushed a little.

"She is friends with you, that is enough." said Hiashi with a scowl.

That got Naruto's attention.

"Hey! Don't punish or blame Hinata for any of this, punish me if anyone." said Naruto bravely.

"Naruto no!" exclaimed Hinata.

She only talked loud enough for Naruto to hear her.

"But Naruto-kun! Don't!" whispered Hinata.

"Unless you want Hiashi breathing down your neck for the rest of his life, I'll take the fall, I just don't want anything to happen to you." whispered Naruto.

Seconds passed as Hinata stood behind him, shocked that he would take any punishment, just for her.

Hinata felt like fainting, Naruto had already done this for her once before, and Hiashi had seen it, yet he couldn't see how nice Naruto was.

"I just want you to be safe." assured Naruto with a warm smile.

She couldn't believe it, it was happening again, and she was so happy, yet at the same time, she didn't want Naruto to take a fall for her.

All Hinata wanted was for Naruto to see her for who she really was, she didn't want all of this, not if it meant him getting into trouble.

"Don't Naruto-kun... I will... go with him." said Hinata sadly.

"I knew you would come around. Now be a good girl, and come home, you have many punishments awaiting you." said Hiashi.

Cerulean eyes looked at Hinata in shock, and gazed upon her sad defeated face, and when a tear fell down her face, something in him snapped.

"Kiss my ass high-and-mighty-fuck-face!" scowled Naruto with a very angry glare.

Finally, Naruto's words actually got to Hiashi, making him angry.

"Uzumaki brat! How dare you impose such impudence! I will make you eat those words!" shouted Hiashi as he jumped at Naruto with great speed.

"Come and get it!!" shouted Naruto, egging him on.

"Kicking your ass will soon be my specialty if you keep trying to hurt Hinata-chan!" said Naruto with a smirk as he prepared for battle.

--

END OF CHAPTER

Next Chapter: Duke it out

I was reviewing this chapter, double-checking for mistakes, and I noticed something hilarious! Check out the first letter of each of the last 15 sentences above the (--)!! XD Hysterical! Perhaps the third biggest coincidence of my life!!

Read and Review if you want a sequal! X3


	28. Duke It Out!

**_My Heart's Lavender Eyes_**

"Normal speech"  
'_Thought'_  
**_Kyuubi_**  
**Other enormous beings (And attacks of extreme and/or mythological power)**  
**_(Lemon) _**if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?  
Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!  
"**_Disclaimer"_**  
I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit (which I do not get by the way)

**_Chapter 28:_**

**_Duke it out:_**

**_

* * *

  
_**

Hiashi flew through the air at Naruto, intending to kill.

Naruto quickly grabbed Hinata, and jumped to a branch on the left.

Hiashi's hand released the energy that he had built up in his palm, and took a large splintered chunk out of the branch they were just on, with a large crashing noise.

_'Kuuki Hirate!'_(Air Palm)thought Hinata, in shock that her father almost hit her.

"Hinata, stay here, I'll take care of him. I don't want you to get hurt, nor do I want you to have to fight your own father." said Naruto with a serious face.

Hinata nodded, happy that Naruto would fight to protect her, but sad that he had to protect her from her own father.

"Take care of me? How do you intend to do that?" asked Hiashi with a superior tone in his voice.

"Like this! Rat-tiger-dog-ox-rabbit-tiger! _Katon: Hosenka no jutsu!"_(Fire release: _Phoenix__ Flower technique) _exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto put his fist in front of his mouth, and released 15 rapid-fire fireballs from his hand.

Hiashi quickly bounded from tree to tree to avoid getting hit.

"Based on that attack, I would say that Fire is definitely not your element..." said Hiashi calmly.

Before Naruto could respond, Hiashi jumped from his branch through the air, and halfway across to the branch he aimed to land on, he suddenly turned to face Naruto.

_"Katon: Nenshou kaijin shuuseki!"(Fire release: Burning Ash Accumulation!)_ shouted Hiashi.

From the burnt places on the trees where Naruto missed Hiashi, the ash quickly accumulated into Hiashi's palm, but before Hiashi finished the jutsu...

_"Ketsugou: Kuuki Hirate!"(Combination: Air palm!)_ shouted Hiashi quickly.

Hiashi shot the ash he accumulated in his hand at Naruto, who dodged it easily by jumping from his tree branch.

"Ha! Your going to have to be faster than that!" taunted Naruto.

"Think again." said Hiashi.

When Naruto jumped from the tree branch, he left a vacuum of air behind him, allowing Hiashi to channel the ash after him, quickly catching up with the blond wonder.

"Whoa!" exclaimed Naruto as the ash touched his arm.

It burned. burned a lot! He easily got third degree burns from that small touch... this was getting dangerous.

"Hinata! Distance yourself!" exclaimed Naruto.

Hinata was surprised at first, but nodded and quickly backed herself up about 100 meters so that she could still see.

Naruto circled around the tree, closing in on Hiashi like he planned, but then, something happened that surprised him.

Right as Naruto put his foot on the next tree, hot ash sprung up and grabbed onto his leg, molding him into the tree.

"Aaaauuggh!!" shouted Naruto in pain as the ash burned him.

Naruto had forgotten about the ash spots that still resided on the trees.

But that wasn't the worst of what was to come.

The ash that had been on his trail caught up with him and covered most of Naruto.

Before he could scream out in pain from the heat, Hiashi reacted.

"Complete combination! _Burning Ash Accumulation_ and _Air palm_! "Katon/Fuuton: Nenshou Hitofuki no Kaze!"_(Blazing Fire style: Burning Whisp of Wind_)" shouted Hiashi.

He then shot a violent torrent of air at Naruto, feeding the flame, and causing Naruto to ignite in flames. But that wasn't the end. the Ash accumulation jutsu still hadn't taken full effect.

"Release!" shouted Hiashi.

The ashes that had not yet ignited on Naruto violently exploded, taking off the top half of the tree Naruto was on.

"NARUTO!!" shouted Hinata.

After the violent explosion, pieces of fiery wood and bark rained down from the sky, making it seem like it was raining fire. This only added to Hinata's distress.

_'No! He can't be dead! I never told him... how I... how much I...'_ thought Hinata as she felt tears well up in her eyes.

"Ha. He wasn't tough, it only took one attack on my part." said Hiashi as he dusted himself off.

Hiashi looked through the smoke as it cleared, revealing the outline of a figure still standing.

"(Gasp) Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata happily.

_'He's still alive!'_ thought Hinata with hope.

Naruto stood there on the tree, completely covered in black ash and his burnt organic material. Naruto smirked before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"A shadow clone?!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Suddenly Hiashi felt a sharp pain in his back as he felt himself go spiraling through the air, and slammed face-first into a tree across the clearing.

Hiashi pulled himself out of the tree and sat down on the branch to regain himself.

He looked across the clearing to see Naruto standing on the limb Hiashi was on with a small Rasengan dissipating in his hand.

"I'll only give you one more warning before I get serious." said Naruto.

Hiashi looked up at Naruto with a scowl.

"Leave Hinata alone, let her do what she wants to do, let her fulfill her own dreams. Or..." said Naruto.

Hinata's heart felt like it was floating.

"Naruto..." whispered Hinata.

"Or what?" asked Hiashi.

"Or I'll just have to beat some sense into you." said Naruto.

Hiashi wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying, but instead he was thinking to himself.

_'Im... Impossible... No shadow clone could have withstood that much damage before disappearing...'_ thought Hiashi.

Hiashi stood up, and stuck his hand underneath his robe, forming some hand-signs.

_'God, that hurt like hell!' _thought Naruto.

**"Kagutsuchi!"** shouted Hiashi.

Suddenly Hiashi breathed out a large amount of white flames that covered Naruto completely.

"AAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuhhhhh!!" screamed Naruto as the jutsu burned at his skin.

Naruto was caught, the real Naruto. He had lowered his guard and stepped forward. He never suspected an attack like this.

Naruto writhed in pain as he curled up on the ground, not knowing what to do.

"Those flames cannot be put out. They are said to be the flames of heaven itself, dealing pain to those who deserve it." said Hiashi with a frown.

Naruto hurt so much he couldn't speak or yell anymore, he could only just lay there and feel himself burn.

"Naruto!!" screamed Hinata.

She came flying out of nowhere, and landed next to Naruto on the branch.

**"Yata no Kagami!"** exclaimed Hinata.

The flames simply spiraled up into her eyes, and vanished without a trace.

Naruto, noticing that the pain had finally stopped. looked up to see Hinata with completely silver eyes.

He was completely shocked. He blinked, not believing what he was seeing.

After he blinked, the silver in her eyes were gone, and replaced with tears... He must have been seeing things.

"N-Naruto!" shouted Hinata, hoping he heard her.

He was badly burnt in the places the fire connected: the lower half of his arms, his torso, and his face were badly burnt.

"I'll be alright Hinata..." said Naruto as he bit his hand to withstand the pain of standing.

"But, it doesn't make any sense, that jutsu deals pain to those who deserve it, what did I ever do?" asked Naruto.

**_"Sorry... kit."_** said Kyuubi remorsefully.

"Kyuubi..." whispered Naruto in realization.

Hinata realized instantly after he said the Bijuu's name. The jutsu hurt Naruto because it was trying to punish Kyuubi, not him.

Naruto then went to stand up.

"Naruto don't you'll..." said Hinata, but she was stopped when two burnt fingers came up to her face, and he put them over her lips to silence her.

She gasped, noticing that the skin on his fingers, were not crisp or damaged from being burnt, but instead felt soft and undamaged.

Naruto's skin from the finger that touched Hinata, started healing at an incredible rate, the undamaged skin appeared like a wave as it went over his whole body, repairing the damage completely.

Hinata was shocked.

"You can do that?!" exclaimed Hinata, who was overly happy that he was alright.

"Don't be so impressed, it took a lot more out of me than it looks..." said Naruto with a deep breath.

Whilst they were exchanging pleasantries, the completely ignored Hiashi looked furious.

"Why do you help that insignificant whelp?! He is just a commoner! In fact he is below a commoner, he is a demon! Look at how that jutsu burned him!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Hinata lost all of her confidence she just had just built up at her father's words, she reacted as if on instinct, and hid behind Naruto, looking towards the ground like she did something wrong.

Naruto saw Hinata's reaction and was instantly furious.

"Would _a demon_ risk his life everyday for a village that hates him anyway? Would a Demon have friends that he cherishes? Would a demon protect someone he cares about?!" exclaimed Naruto, ending in a shout.

Hiashi didn't have anything to say to that, but he still looked determined as ever to force his daughter home.

Hiashi suddenly ducked low and threw a kunai with an explosive tag at Naruto.

Naruto nodded to Hinata.

She immediately jumped out of the way, distancing herself once again several trees behind Naruto.

The kunai neared Naruto, and to Hiashi's surprise, he caught the tag out of the air and balled it up in his hand while it was burning.

_"Honoo Sanketu..."_(Flame Suffocation) muttered Naruto with a smirk.

The tag didn't go off, and he dropped it to the forest floor, hundreds of feet below.

Hiashi made several hand-signs.

"Tiger-Rabbit-Boar-Ram-Monkey-Dog!" exclaimed Hiashi as he made the signs.

Hiashi held his hand to the left and his staff flew over to him from behind a nearby tree, and he grasped it firmly in his hand.

_'The force is strong with this one...'_ thought Naruto humorously.

Just then, the tips of Hiashi's staff extended into blades made of concentrated flowing chakra.

He then swung the staff at Naruto.

Naruto upped his chakra a bit on instinct.

"Kaze no Yaiba!"(Blade of Wind) exclaimed Hiashi as he followed through with the attack aimed perfectly at Naruto.

Naruto didn't see anything, he didn't see any attack coming at him, so he just stood there, perplexed.

Hiashi was giving him a strange look as well.

"Again! SanKaze no Yaiba!"(Three blades of wind) exclaimed Hiashi, upping the power and sharpening the chakra more.

He swung his staff quickly three times at Naruto from his position on the other branch across from the clearing, and again nothing happened.

"Uh, Hiashi? What are you doing?" asked Naruto.

"I don't understand. I've already sent 4 blades made purely of wind element chakra at you, but none of them did any damage..." said Hiashi.

Naruto smirked, he understood now, but he wouldn't tell him.

"I dunno, I guess you are losing your touch?" guessed Naruto innocently.

Hiashi shot him a look, and flew through some hand signs.

"Zankūkyokuha!!" exclaimed Hiashi as he started to gather chakra.

Naruto didn't know what this technique was, but he heard a voice from behind him that clued him in.

"Naruto! Get out of the way!" shouted Hinata.

Naruto looked closer at Hiashi to see that he was gathering chakra at his palms.

Naruto just smiled, and stood there, which just made Hiashi more mad.

Then he called back:

"What is it?" asked Naruto casually.

"Extreme Decapitating Air waves!" responded Hinata as she leaned against a tree, facing herself away from the fight.

Hinata was worried, he wasn't moving, she could sense it, and it was the real him this time as well.

She wouldn't dare face the fight at this point, so she used her hearing to figure out what was happening.

Hiashi finally finished gathering chakra.

"Aaaah!!" shouted Hiashi.

The waves were so powerful that Naruto could see his chakra this time. The sound of the chakra whipping through the air echoed through the forest before they met their target.

The blades were fast, almost super-sonic, and they all hit Naruto visibly dead on. All at different angles.

"Ha! Got you!" said Hiashi with a smirk.

Hiashi's words struck Hinata hard, she had obviously seen this technique before, and knew that any hit was completely fatal.

Hinata began to start crying, for he must be in pieces after such an attack hit. But she didn't have any time to even start, because of the sound of a voice.

"Well, now that your done goofing around, maybe we can start the real battle?" asked Naruto casually.

Hinata completely leaned back against the tree she hid behind.

"Oh thank God!" exclaimed Hinata as she slid down against the tree onto her butt on a branch.

While Hinata expressed her relief, on the other side of the tree, a great distance away, Hiashi had an astonished look in his face.

"HOW?! No one can survive a hit like that without putting up some sort of force-field or defense!" exclaimed Hiashi.

_'The only thing that can block that is Kaiten! And he doesn't know of the Hyuuga ways...'_ thought Hiashi.

"Hehe... Sorry Hiashi, but I like yourself have an affinity to wind-element chakra, and because of my recent training, I always keep up my chakra flow outside of my body, and on instinct, I turn it into wind-based chakra, making any wind-based attack null and Void." said Naruto with a smirk.

Hiashi looked surprised for a second, then gave him an understanding nod while folding his arms.

"I am surprised that you would do such a thing, because to do so would burn up a lot of chakra, and I understand the instinct, but my chakra is earth-based, not wind-based, I'm just really good at using wind with my Jyuuken." said Hiashi truthfully.

"...Well, if you're earth based, does that mean Hinata is too?" asked Naruto curiously.

Hiashi thought for a second.

"Most likely." said Hiashi.

"Most Likely? She's your daughter and you don't know?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Neji was right... You are a horrible father." said Naruto.

Hiashi went from slightly understanding to extremely angry in a hurry, but that didn't phase Naruto at all.

"Of course, I don't need Neji to tell me that..." began Naruto.

"All I have to do is look at how Hinata reacts to your very presence and I know immediately." said Naruto with a smirk.

Hiashi couldn't take anymore gall from this demon spawn punk.

Hiashi got down into a low stance, one that was so low, that Naruto thought he was doing some sort of yoga.

**"Hakke San Hyaku Rokujuichi Sho!"**(Eight Trigrams Three-Hundred-Sixty-One Palms!) screamed Hiashi angrily.

"361?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Do I even have that many chakra points?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Yes, Naruto, each person has exactly 361 chakra points, and closing all of them at one time would mean... instant death." said Hiashi though his teeth.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"Now die!" shouted Hiashi.

Hiashi flew at Naruto, who couldn't move, because he was caught within Hiashi's divination seal.

Before Naruto knew what happened, a beautiful figure appeared majestically in front of him. He couldn't even comprehend what he was seeing, until he realized it was Hinata.

**"**Hakke Sho Amatsu Kaiten Soriddo!"**(Eight Trigrams Palm Heavenly Spin Absolute!) **exclaimed Hinata.

Hinata released what looked like an unearthly amount of chakra, and unlike the normal Kaiten, the field was completely and absolutely solid.

Hiashi was already flying too quickly towards Naruto to stop himself, and he slammed into the orb, sending him flying back with tremendous force, he went through several thick trees, and finally stopped with a crash into a tree some distance away. Naruto couldn't tell where, he couldn't see that far from where he stood, but right now Hiashi didn't matter.

Naruto was mesmerized, his mouth agape and eyes wide. Hinata was ending the jutsu as she was still spinning. Her curves being shown off in the light of the chakra, and her grace and poise being displayed as she went to one tippy-toe and beautifully stopped her spin. Naruto couldn't take his eyes off of her. But out of his peripheral vision, he saw Hiashi come flying at him, he already had recovered from the blow, probably because he used chakra to cushion his landing. Naruto wanted to defend himself, but at the same time, he never wanted to let his vision leave this beautiful girl in front of him.

Naruto jumped into the air, made a clone to his right while still in mid-air, and formed a Rasengan in his right hand.

Naruto was about to meet Hiashi in mid-air, and he reared his hand right hand back like was going to thrust the Rasengan into Hiashi.

Hiashi smirked, easily seeing it coming.

Hiashi used some wind chakra to push himself down under Naruto's arm, aiming for his heart with his staff, which was powered with air current.

Naruto then did something Hiashi didn't expect. He grabbed the clone he hadn't dispersed, who was also still in mid-air behind him, and used him to pull himself up, while at the same time, pushed the clone down into Hiashi's path. With careful precision, Naruto actually transferred the Rasengan to the clone, and grabbing the clone's free arm, hurled him at Hiashi as hard as he could. He did all of this without ever letting his eyes wander from Hinata's form.

The clone jammed the Rasengan into Hiashi's back, sending him spiraling down to the branch Hinata still stood on.

Hinata was not looking at her father, who was now flying at her uncontrollably, but was looking at Naruto eyes.

_'He hasn't taken his eyes off of me. Not even during that quick exchange...'_ thought Hinata with a blush.

She was brought out of her stupor by Naruto's voice.

"Hinata! Heads up! Send him 10:00!" shouted Naruto.

Hinata nodded and spun around, slamming her right palm into her father's stomach, stopping him with an agonizing groan. Her chakra easily escaped out through his back in the form of sixteen small but fiercely powerful chakra blasts, each blocking a chakra point in his body.

"16 hits! Front!" said Hinata.

Hinata then disappeared and reappeared on his right, slamming her left palm into his side, sending similar chakra blasts out his left side.

"16 hits! Right!" said Hinata.

Before the force of her blow could even move him farther than an inch she was already at his left side. She pushed her hand against his side lightly sending chakra harshly out of his other side.

"32 hits!" said Hinata.

She then disappeared and instantly reappeared behind him, jamming her elbows fiercely into his back, sending two waves of chakra out of his stomach, each made up of 32 chakra blasts, which sent him flying quickly back towards the branch.

"64 hits!" said Hinata.

She then disappeared and reappeared on the branch he was flying towards, concentrating her chakra to both hands as she held them together with her palms facing out.

Hiashi continued his flight path and basically slammed himself into Hinata's palms.

"128 hits! Eight Trigrams 256 palms, Stream Palm Wave!" shouted Hinata fiercely, completing her technique.

She sent an almost uncountable amount of chakra blasts through his body, sending him zipping through the air towards 10:00, just as Naruto asked.

Naruto was already waiting there, with his foot blazing with chakra.

He waited until Hiashi was right in front of him, and kicked him skyward to another clone, who was waiting for him.

"Na!" exclaimed Naruto.

Hiashi met the clone in mid-air, who kicked him another hundred feet up.

"Ru!" exclaimed the Naruto clone.

Hiashi flew up into the canopy of the trees, where another clone was waiting for him.

"To!" exclaimed the clone, hinting at Hinata to take action with his beckoning eyes.

She didn't know what to do at first, but caught on remembering his famous jutsu.

Naruto's clone he had been saving flew from a tree, and kicked Hiashi higher into the air, almost completely out of the enormous canopy.

"And!" exclaimed the clone, who signaled to Hinata with a nod.

Hinata quickly ran up the tree to his height and with little hesitation, kicked him so high that he was over 100 yards above the forest canopy.

"Hinata!" exclaimed Hinata with a small blush as she kicked him.

Hinata felt herself falling, but was quickly caught in the arms of Naruto, who was flying quickly up into the air, higher than Hiashi.

Naruto let go of Hinata and sent her flying towards one of two clones that were already there waiting for them at the peak of their accent.

One grabbed Hinata's arm, and the other Naruto's arm, sending them flying towards Hiashi at the same time at incredible rates of speed as the clones that threw them dispersed. Hinata to the right, Naruto to the left, they flew towards Hiashi as he reached the peak of his painful flight.

Naruto looked over to Hinata in mid-air, and nodded to her. She nodded in return, and they both lifted up their right foot above their heads.

"Naruto and Hinata Rendan!!" exclaimed the two as they jammed their heels into Hiashi, sending him rocketing towards the ground.

Hiashi flew down through the canopy and back into the clearing where they first fought. He met the ground with a sickening crash as earth and debris flew up into the air, in reaction to his abrupt appearance 15 feet into the surface of the earth.

Hinata and Naruto were still falling, and Hinata was basically freaking out.

She was happy before, she had stood up to her father, and expressed her feelings through the martial and ninja arts. Hell, she had even completed a move that Naruto included her name in, and that made her ecstatic when it happened. But now they were plummeting towards the ground, she knew that if they hit the ground from this height, at the speed they were going, they would surely die.

Death.

She was going to die. Her mind was racing, she had so many things she had never done, and wanted to do. She still hadn't even told Naruto... Naruto! Naruto was right next to her! She could tell him before she died! Now that death was at hand, there was no fear of the repercussions in her mind, she was going to tell him.

She went to open her mouth, but she was surprised by a hug she suddenly received from Naruto. Naruto flipped her around so that she had her face stuffed into his chest and he held onto her tightly with his arms and legs.

They didn't go through the same hole Hiashi had made, but slightly over. They went crashing through the trees, Naruto taking all of the hits, as they finally broke through the canopy at break-neck speeds, slamming into the ground harshly, making a crater that was big, but not as nearly as big as Hiashi's.

Everything was still.

Hinata opened her eyes which had been glued shut from the fall through the canopy.

She felt fine, she felt perfectly fine. Not a bruise on her, not even a scratch. All of her bones in tact, nothing hurt, she was going to live!

She could hardly believe that they survived a fall from that height, but froze at the thought of "they".

There was no they, she knew she was alright, but what about the person who had taken the blow?

She tried to sit up to get a look at him, to see if he was still alive, but she was kept down by Naruto's arms, which still held her in a secure fashion.

She lifted her head up just enough to see two big blue eyes gazing back at her with a warm smile to boot.

She gave a huge breath of relief.

He was alive.

Then she realized, that they seemed to be entwined in a very intimate position.

She blushed deeply, and snapped her eyes shut. On instinct, she immediately began to try and squirm her way out.

As she was squirming and getting nowhere, Naruto just laid there, watching her in amusement as her madly blushing face wriggled back in forth in time with the rest of her body, like she was trying to do the worm.

"Heh... You're so cute when you squirm like that." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata froze. That didn't make it better!

It just made her more nervous and embarrassed as she then began to violently flail around.

Sensing her strife, Naruto immediately let her go.

She jumped off of him and landed a couple feet away looking in the other direction and breathing hard as she tried to get stop anymore blood from rushing to her head.

Naruto decided to let her be for a few minutes.

_'He...he...called me cute... he held me... again...'_ thought Hinata blissfully.

While Hinata replayed the moment in her mind over and over, Naruto got up from the crater, and went over to Hiashi.

He was still alive, just unconscious and badly beaten to a pulp.

Naruto smirked at the sight of him.

_'Serves him right, treating Hinata like that, Hiashi was a horrible father, now if I was her daddy...'_ thought Naruto as he blushed from his accidental misuse of words.

Naruto's one clone that had not yet dispersed yet was laying on the ground in an awkward position, with his head slammed into the ground, and the rest of his body was pointed up and his legs limped to the side.

Naruto walked over and pulled him out of the ground.

"Quit faking, I know you're fine." said Naruto.

The clone opened his eyes, and stood with a smirk.

_'I hope Hinata didn't see that...'_ thought Naruto.

He looked over at the Hyuuga girl, to see that she wasn't facing him, and was shaking her head slightly back and forth while her hands met over her mouth.

_'I wish we could hold each other like we did just now... Should I ask if he wants to? No! No! I couldn't do that... But just a few seconds ago, I was going to tell him that I love him... But that was because I thought there was nothing to lose... I couldn't ask him...now...'_ thought Hinata as her face blushed and she shook her head 'no' over and over to remind herself of her logic, while her temptations didn't help.

While she was doing this, Naruto gave his clone instructions.

"Take Hiashi into town, and give him to the Konoha hospital staff, they should be able to fix him up." said Naruto.

The clone nodded, scooped up Hiashi and took off, being sure to bump the Hyuuga Lord's head into every miscellaneous tree that he passed.

Naruto smirked at the clones antics, then looked back over to Hinata.

_'Only one thing left to do.'_ thought Naruto.

He walked over to Hinata and was about to try and talk to her, but noticed that her face was still red, and she was shaking her head back and forth.

He had no idea what that was all about, but he had to see if she was alright.

_'Naruto has done so much for me! He helped me stand up my father. He told me he cared. He defended me. He believed in me. He... held me...'_ thought Hinata.

Naruto had done do much for her, and she knew that he would never think much of it, and wouldn't ask for anything in return, she was completely overwhelmed emotionally.

Naruto walked down into the crater where she still sat on her knees, and put his hand on her shoulder.

Hinata stiffened, and Naruto visibly saw a shiver run down her spine at his touch as her eyes widened.

"...You okay?" asked Naruto.

Hinata quickly flipped herself around and hugged him with tears running down her face onto his jacket.

"Thank you! Naruto... Th-Thank you..." whispered Hinata.

Naruto could tell that it took a lot for her to say that, but he had to know.

"Why?" asked Naruto.

She almost fainted at his modesty.

"You f-fought my father f-for me, y-y-you beat him, and y-you saved m-my life!" exclaimed Hinata through her tears.

Naruto was astounded for a moment at her sudden emotional reaction to his actions, but he quickly got over it.

"Hinata, WE fought your father, WE beat him, and YOU saved my life too remember?" asked Naruto.

She looked up at his face with teary eyes, and she was about to say otherwise when he put two fingers over her lips.

She was surprised and blushed at this.

"Shush silly, don't think so lowly of yourself, you did awesomely out there, and now I have a new move in my arsenal." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata blushed as Naruto took out a book that was entitled; "Naruto's book of awesomeness" which contained all of his jutsus.

Naruto took out a pen, and began to write something down.

"Naruto and Hinata Rendan,

Style: cooperation taijutsu,

Advantage: Height,

Power: Gravity and thrust,

Inspiration:..." said Naruto as he paused for a moment to look at Hinata.

Naruto smiled and put his pen to the paper.

"...Someone I care for." said Naruto with a smile.

_'H-he c-cares for me! H-he cares for me! He cares for me! He cares for ME!!'_ thought Hinata while blushing blissfully.

_'Sure, he didn't say that he loved me, or even that he liked me, but at least I know he cares!'_ thought Hinata over-happily.

Naruto smiled at the jutsu he had just created, and tucked the book away into his jacket.

Naruto looked up to see that the wind was picking up in the clearing, blowing the tree canopy open, letting light shine through the canopy from a low angle, reminding Naruto that it was almost time for supper.

Naruto looked from the canopy, to Hinata, and found himself in shock.

The light hit Hinata, making some of her parts stand out more. Her curves that were usually hidden by a shadow produced from her chest, were instead lit up, showing off just how much she had developed. Her beautiful skin seemed to glow, showing its blemish-free and perfect skin texture and tone. Naruto greedily drank in her appearance as though he would never see it again. He then finally got to her face, the sun caught the features of her face perfectly, showing him her happiness, and warm expression. Her hair seemed to shine so very bright in the wind, contrasting from it's usual dark color. He finally locked on to her eyes. The were so very beautiful. Like oceans and oceans o Lavender lilac petals had melted together to make a beautiful swirling ocean within her eyes.

Naruto was awestruck. He kept his mouth closed, and his face dignified. But his mind was going insane from the pleasure of merely looking at this beautiful girl before him.

Hinata noticed Naruto's gaze, and blushed, pushing the hair out of her eyes, then she shook her head to get her hair back into place. Naruto could have died right there, and been happy with it. His heart was in his throat, hell, it could have been hanging out of him for all he knew, all he felt was this deep feeling. It was the same feeling from...

Naruto did not know where this feeling was from, but it somehow felt strangely and yet wonderfully familiar.

Suddenly, Naruto felt his vision quickly blur, and he saw images, streaming through his head. Time seemed to stop for him so that he could analyze these pictures, and run them through his head...

He remembered.

He remembered everything.

He remembered the moment they had with Tsunade and Hiashi, where he had offered to give up everything for her. He blushed remembering the pants-incident that lead up to it.

He remembered that Hinata had tried to tell him something before the Retrieve Sasuke mission. He remembered most of the entire mission, and the hormonally agonizing and stimulating experiences throughout. But along with it, he remembered when he had nearly killed himself to help the mission get to Sasuke in time.

He painstakingly remembered Hinata trying to kill herself, because of his death.

He realized that the grief of somebody dying was hard, but to kill yourself... Maybe it was her first experience of death?

He remembered everyone huddled around Hinata, and he remembered saying something to her, but didn't know what it was because the memory went blank there, and suddenly skipped forward to where he first became a kitsune.

He didn't have time to think of a reason why the memory skipped as more memories shot into his vision.

He remembered that night at the hospital, and the morning after.

He blushed, but that only deepened as he suddenly remembered something else.

This memory wasn't forced on him like the previous ones, rather, he had accidentally dragged it out of his mind.

It was during the mission to retrieve the Inuzuka heir, when Hinata had stopped breathing and had fallen over. He had performed CPR, but Hinata was awake for half of it without saying anything.

_'It was probably because she was so shocked to find me kissing her...'_ thought Naruto.

_'She was only... friendly with me during that mission because she was asleep, it wasn't her will...'_ thought Naruto.

_'What could she want with a commoner like me anyways? Princess Hinata Hyuuga...'_ thought Naruto sadly.

Naruto was worried, he felt down on himself for his _peasant_ stature.

But then, he remembered her. Nothing in particular, he just ran her image through his head, remembering that she had never once showed him any kind of hatred.

He smiled.

His vision flashed back to Hinata to find that not even a nanosecond had passed. Hinata's beautiful hair still blowing blissfully in the wind.

When the wind started to die down, and the tree canopy began to go back to it's original sun-blocking state. Naruto was afraid the when the sun and wind, left, so would the beauty before him. When the last bit of light left her, Naruto jumped a bit in realization. When the light and wind that had beautifully accented her figure and body left, she was still so beautiful that he almost couldn't stand the feel of his heart in his throat.

_'I know that she has always been really cute and pretty, but this beautiful?!'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto began to chuckle to himself. He realized that she was always this beautiful, he was just to dense to really appreciate it. He was such a fool.

His heart felt as light a feather or even lighter if possible. He felt so happy that he started to laugh from the intensity of the feelings he wanted to express so badly, but didn't know how, why, or what the feeling was.

Hinata didn't know why he was laughing, or why he was looking so intently at her, but seeing Naruto smile made her happy.

They both began to softly laugh for a minute before calming themselves down.

She didn't even know why they were laughing, but she had enjoyed it.

Naruto felt so good just to look at her, her beauty was almost like an overly-intoxicating addictive aroma that he couldn't get enough of.

He realized that this was blocking his other senses, so he decided to dull her from his senses for a moment, no matter how much it pained him.

Naruto turned around, and felt his heart tug at the absence of Hinata. He was used to pain, but this one was new. Whether it was new or not didn't matter, it was pain after all, and he could get through it... he hoped.

_'Kyuubi, have you found out why I am getting these memory flashbacks? I hate not knowing things...'said Naruto._

"That Sasuke retrieval mission is still a blank..." said Naruto.

"I don't remember any of that either Naruto..." said Hinata meekly.

Naruto brought himself from his mindscape to see that he had spoken aloud talking to the Kyuubi yet again.

"Yeah, its weird, but I just don't remember..." lied Naruto.

Kyuubi surprisingly answered only after Hinata was done saying anything more.

**_"Sorry kit, all I have to tell you is that your memories have been purposely messed with... and I just can't figure out what is wrong... But until then, like I said before, watch out for other Bijuu."_** warned Kyuubi.

Naruto looked surprised for a moment.

_'Purposely? What purpose could wiping my memory serve?'_ thought Naruto.

_'Alright, keep trying then.'_ encouraged Naruto.

Naruto left his communication mind scape as he observed his surroundings getting more serious the more he looked around. There was molten ash debris everywhere on the ground, spread out randomly from the fight. He then remembered that he had fought Hiashi, an Elite Jounin, and had beaten him badly.

Naruto then replayed what Kyuubi had said, and he realized something.

_'Other Bijuu... Hinata...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto just remembered that Hinata would have a shortened life span, and he still needed to tell her.

Hinata smile turned into a concerned frown at this sudden change of emotion.

_'It will have to wait until later' _thought Naruto.

Right now, there were things that he had to deal with first, like Hiashi...

Hinata was confused, a minute ago, he was so happy that he was laughing... but now...

"Well, what do you think will happen now?" asked Naruto with a serious face.

Hinata's giddiness died down a bit but not all the way, as she still kept her face in a blush.

"I... I don't know...What do you mean?" asked Hinata in a confused voice.

"Hinata, we just attacked an Elite Jounin, and nearly killed him, and if that isn't enough, Hiashi is your father, the head of the Hyuuga clan!" exclaimed Naruto.

Now she knew what he was getting at.

"M-my f-father attacked u-us! It... It was j-just self-defense Naruto-kun..." said Hinata reassuringly.

"Doesn't matter, Hiashi will tell everyone the worst, probably something like: The demon brat kid-napped my daughter, took her away, then threatened my life." said Naruto gloomily.

His view was pessimistic, but not untrue. Hiashi was well respected in honor, if he said something, people believed him.

"B-but my father..." began Hinata.

She was going to say that her father would never do something like that, but after this, she didn't doubt it anymore.

There was a profound silence of intense thinking on both of their parts.

"W-We could just go back up to where w-we stayed l-last n-night and s-sleep there for a while until this b-blows over..." suggested Hinata hopefully.

She really enjoyed sleeping with Naruto... In more ways than one.

"No, Hiashi will surely tell them that this fight took place in the forest, and they will begin to search the forest areas. We won't be safe camping out anymore..." said Naruto.

Hinata looked disappointed, and that made Naruto slightly more happy, even with all of this stress.

"W-what about your apartment?" asked Hinata with a blush.

"Out of the question. They probably check there daily for me... For me... Hinata!" exclaimed Naruto.

Hinata jumped and looked at him questioningly.

"That's it! YOU can stay at my apartment! Believe it!" exclaimed Naruto.

Hinata was happy at first, but she didn't over look the fact that he said YOU and not WE.

"W-what about you N-Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata.

Naruto paused for a bit, looking thoughtful and a little remorseful.

"Don't worry about me! I have plenty of places to stay! Believe it!" said Naruto with a smile and a peace sign.

_'Please believe it... Please believe it... Please believe it...'_ thought Naruto worriedly.

He really had no place to go where he could stay hidden from the ninja that were looking for him.

"O-okay, as long as y-you have a p-place to sleep as w-well." said Hinata with a fake smile.

_'I was really looking forward to spending more time with Naruto-kun, not splitting us up...'_ thought Hinata sadly.

"Okay. I will try to get in contact with you somehow, just to make sure that you are okay." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata smiled at the thought of Naruto visiting her, and they parted ways...

* * *

Naruto had absolutely no idea where he would go.

In Konoha on the top floor of the Hokage tower in her office, Tsunade was nearly tearing her hair out at the stress of the situation.

Naruto and Hinata had gone missing, Hiashi Hyuuga, had shown up at the Konoha hospital nearly dead, and unconscious, and had yet to wake up, and now, the ANBU reporting seeing a large explosion, shortly before Hiashi showed up at the hospital, the two were no doubt related...

She was worried about the two. She knew that Hinata was just trying to dodge her father, but after that intruder, she just didn't know anymore.

She had told the ANBU that if they saw either Naruto or Hinata, that they were to report to her, and only her, no matter what Hiashi said.

She couldn't do anything, she felt so powerless, but this was all that she could do.

_'Sak'e time...' _thought Tsunade.

* * *

Naruto arrived in town, walking through the streets, just looking for a place that he could stay. He had henged himself as Hinata, and was trying to remain unseen and unnoticeable, which wasn't hard since it was night-time anyway. After he had transformed, he realized that he had taken on the form of the most beautiful girl he had ever known. While he walked he couldn't help himself, and he pervertedly looking down at her figure. He eventually made it to the Inuzuka compound, where he decided to give it a shot.

_'Who knows, maybe Kiba will be nice...'_ thought Naruto as he knocked on the big brown door.

As he knocked, he realized that the Inuzuka compound, unlike the Hyuuga compound, had no guards posted. He saw guards though. They hid in the trees, looking as thought hey would attack the first person they saw.

_'So why haven't they attacked me yet?'_ thought Naruto.

**_"Because you are the henged as the friend of the heir... I'm glad your finally using the Kitsune illusion powers, I almost couldn't contain it anymore..."_** said Kyuubi.

"Oh Yeah, I forgot I was Hinata... Wait! How am I going to do this?! I'm a GIRL trying to ask to stay the night at a BOYS house!" whispered Naruto to himself frantically in Hinata's soft voice.

But it was too late, the door already opened to reveal Kiba's Mother, Tsume.

The look on her face was very surprised, but not rude.

It was obvious she knew Hinata based on the look on her face, so Naruto decided to play the part.

"H-hello Mrs. Inuzuka." said Naruto with Hinata's shy tone and posture.

"Hello Hinata... What are you doing here this late?" asked Tsume with a weird look on her face.

_'So this is Kiba's mom... She doesn't look like such a bitch to me...'_ thought Naruto.

Tsume stopped and thought for a moment and changed the tone of her voice.

"What ARE you doing here?" asked Tsume with a perverted voice as she raised her eyebrows.

"Oh... I um... I..." stuttered Naruto.

_'Damn, how do I ask this?'_ thought Naruto.

"Hinata..." said Tsume as she put her hand on he shoulder.

"Your a nice girl and all, but I don't think that Kiba would go for a girl like you..." said Tsume.

"W-what!? N-no! I just... uh..." said Naruto.

_'Damn it.. Kiba would be easier to talk to...'_ thought Hinata.

"I-Is Kiba home?" asked Naruto.

"Like I said before, I don't think he'll go for you... But if your that desperate for some passionate action, then I won't stand in your way..." said Tsume as she turned around and left Naruto with his mouth on the floor at the doorway.

"Kiba! Booty call!" shouted Tsume into the home.

Naruto sweat-dropped.

He heard the sound of some girl shouting, then something like things getting thrown against a wall, but he definitely recognized Kiba's voice either protesting or, reassuring loudly, he couldn't tell which. He also couldn't hear what they were saying anyways so he figured it didn't really matter.

There was the sound of footsteps and finally Kiba rounded the corner of another room to lock eyes with Hinata's form.

"Mom! For god's sake it's Hinata!" complained Kiba, angry that his mom had said booty call.

"Yeah, whatever. Just stay in your room, lock the door, and use protection, I don't need to hear or worry about that junk when I'm trying to watch TV." said Tsume from the other room.

Kiba didn't catch on to what his mom was saying, and apparently didn't know what she was talking about because he didn't look embarrassed at all.

"So what are you doing here Hinata?..." began Kiba.

Then he sniffed the air.

He then jumped back and pointed at Hinata's form in shock with his mouth wide open.

"Naruto?!" exclaimed Kiba loudly as he continued to point.

Suddenly six ANBU that had been hidden in the trees with the Inuzuka guards came out onto branches that were visible from Naruto's perspective.

Naruto realized that they had come out at the mere mention of his name, and he had to shut Kiba up before he did anything even more stupid.

"Yeah, I h-have no idea what h-happened to him." said Naruto with a wink at Kiba as he perfectly played Hinata's personality.

Kiba immediately caught on when he saw the ANBU, the wink, and remembered Naruto's bounty.

"Yeah, me neither." said Kiba loud enough for the ANBU to hear.

Kiba then got an evil smirk on his face.

"So, I heard that you got into Naruto's pants, is that true?" asked Kiba.

Kiba really wanted to know where Hinata and Naruto were relationship wise, ever since the Sasuke retrieval mission, he had been worried that Naruto would take advantage of her, especially since he kissed her, which is something that Naruto didn't even know...

The ANBU curiously leaned in to hear.

Naruto shot him a look, but kept up the charade.

"W-Well... I did put my hand into his p-pants on more th-than one oc-casion... But no..." said Naruto with a blush on his face.

It was true.

Kiba looked absolutely shocked, then he noticed that the ANBU were now snickering to each other, no doubt they would try to smudge Hinata's name. Kiba got an even eviler look on his face.

"Huh... Well, the last time I saw him, he told me that he was going to henge himself into an ANBU with a hawk mask and hide among the ranks." said Kiba with a smirk.

Suddenly the ANBU in the tree all turned towards the ANBU with the hawk mask and drew their weapons. The Hawk masked ANBU flailed his hands out in front of him, pleading innocent, but they jumped him any ways. The group of ANBU landed in a shrub on the ground where a fight broke out.

"Ha, That'll keep them busy!" exclaimed Naruto.

Kiba quickly gestured Naruto in and shut the door.

Based on the hands-in-pants comment, Kiba was no longer happy with Naruto's presence, in fact, he felt like hitting him. Hinata was like his sister, and if he took advantage of such a sweet girl like Hinata...

"Kiba, let's uh go to your room, there's some thing we need to um... discuss." said Naruto, hinting that it was important.

"He likes it doggy-style! There! I just saved like, what, five minutes of talking that can be used for moaning." said Tsume calmly from the other room.

Kiba looked appalled, and Naruto suddenly looked angry.

_'Why is Tsume talking to Hinata like she and Kiba have sex all the time?...'_ thought Naruto.

Just the thought of Hinata with another man made his blood boil, and that thought made him realize that he was being absurdly jealous over a girl who was just his friend.

Whatever, it didn't matter to him right now, as soon as they were alone, Naruto would bombard him with questions until he was satisfied.

Kiba led him up the stairs and into a long hallway. He went to the very end, and opened up a door with a large scratch on it, which looked like it belonged to Akamaru.

Kiba opened the door, and let Naruto in first. Kiba then went in and calmly shut the door behind him.

Kiba turned to see Naruto pointing at his bed in shock. Sitting upright on his bed was Houkou. He wouldn't have been so surprised if she was actually wearing any pants to go with her underwear.

"R-Raikage-sama!!" exclaimed Naruto.

She only wore a shirt which was obviously Kiba's because it was way too big for her, the shirt went down pass her hips, covering her panties.

Houkou stood up and faced at Kiba with a questioning look.

"See, its nobody, just like I said, my mom was just picking on me." said Kiba with a reassuring smile.

Houkou smiled and turned around, picking up a piece of paper, and turned to face him again.

"Alright, I trust you, but I'll just be in the other room to give you some privacy." said Houkou as she turned and exited out through a door that Naruto had not noticed before.

After Houkou left, Kiba's smile left and was replaced with a frown that showed anger and a lack of trust.

That panged Naruto a bit, and he then realized that he didn't have to be nice in return. Now that Houkou had left, he didn't have to keep up the Hinata act anymore. But to be safe, he figured he should keep her form. He was still very mad at Kiba, because of his earlier inappropriate suspicions about Hinata.

_'If he even laid a hand on her...'_ thought Naruto as he clenched his fists.

_'If he even laid a hand on her...'_ thought Kiba as he clenched his fists.

_'If he tried to do something with Hinata-chan...' _thought Naruto as he gritted his teeth.

_'If he took advantage of my sweet little sister...' _thought Kiba as he gritted his teeth.

Suddenly they both shouted angrily at each other at the same time.

Neither of them had any idea what the other had said, so they both stopped to let the other speak.

When neither of them spoke for a bit, Kiba decided to speak first.

"What did... you do with her?" asked Kiba as he pointed his finger at him.

Naruto looked confused for a minute, but realized who _she_ was when he saw his finger pointing at Hinata's form.

Now he understood.

"Well... The only thing I have ever done to her... was when I accidentally...stuck my hand down her pants and ripped off her panties." said Naruto quickly.

That took a lot to get out, and Kiba looked absolutely appalled. Then he turned very very angry.

"Accidentally?!" exclaimed Kiba.

"How the HELL do you do THAT accidentally!?" exclaimed Kiba loudly.

Naruto backed up a few steps, waving his arms out in front of him on defense.

"Wait! Wait! It happened while we were sleeping together!" exclaimed Hinata.

Kiba's mouth dropped.

Naruto realized what it sounded like he said.

"Wait! Wait! That's not what I meant!" exclaimed Naruto.

Kiba had his hands clenched, then he collected himself, but kept his hands clenched.

"So...Do you want her?" asked Kiba through gritted teeth.

"Well... I'd be lying if I said I didn't..." said Naruto as he blushed and twiddled his fingers together, just like Hinata would.

Before Kiba could murder him, a voice came from the other room.

"Wow. Hinata, I never would have pegged you as a Lesbian..." said Houkou as she poked her head out at them.

"I'm not!" exclaimed Naruto.

(It was true, he wasn't...)

"Then what..." began Houkou.

"I'm bi-sexual." slurred Naruto sexily as made a sexy pose and swung his hips back and forth.

Houkou blushed and Kiba conked him over the head.

"Knock it off! That's very disturbing!" said Kiba angrily.

"Oh I'm sure Mr. booty call..." mumbled Naruto only loud enough for Kiba to hear.

Houkou still clung to the doorway, astonished with her eyes wide at who she thought was Hinata.

Kiba turned and gave her a reassuring look.

"We'll talk about it later, right now, I need to talk privately." said Kiba motioning her to leave.

She noticed Kiba's serious face as ducked back into the other room quickly and respectively.

Kiba, making sure that Houkou was truly gone, then turned on Naruto with murderous intent

Before Kiba could kill him, Naruto began spilling out everything that had happened: Tyler the weird ninja, them hiding, the autograph, them sleeping, Hinata waking to a... panty-less feeling, the fight with Hiashi, and how they were still hiding from whoever was trying to get them.

When Naruto finally finished, he looked up at Kiba, who still had his fists clenched in anger. But it wasn't anger directed towards Naruto...

"Damn him... The gall of that man...Hiashi..." said Kiba with as his knuckle turned white and cracked.

"So you'll help me, and let me stay for the night?" asked Naruto hopefully.

"Hell yes!" said Kiba with conviction.

_'I'll do anything to help Hinata, or anyone that is helping her too.'_ thought Kiba.

"I'd be glad to have you over!" exclaimed Kiba enthusiastically.

Houkou suddenly popped back into the room with a very emotionally saddened, if not desperate, face.

"Ah ha! I knew it! You like the bi's don't you?! That's it isn't it?!" exclaimed Houkou as tears began to form in her eyes.

"I heard the conviction and excitement in your voice! Letting HER stay here tonight!" shouted Houkou as she pointed at Naruto.

Kiba was speechless and Naruto had no idea what was going on.

"Kiba, am... am I not enough?" asked Houkou as tears trickled their way down her tattooed cheeks.

Kiba felt his heart tug at him painfully when he saw her cry like that, but he had no idea what to say.

"If that's the... the kind of girl y-you want... then I can..." said Houkou quietly as she looked quickly from the ground to Hinata's form to Kiba.

"Be that kind of girl..." said Houkou with a blush as tears still rolled down her face.

Kiba blushed immensely. Houkou's crying form was in front of him, Hinata's surprised form to the right of him, and Jaraiya's perverted form was outside of the window scribbling down notes. But Kiba didn't notice him.

_'She... She'd be willing to make a change that big... Just for me...'_ thought Kiba as his eyes teared up slightly.

"H-Houkou!" exclaimed Kiba.

He jumped forward and threw his arms around her, gripping her in a tight embrace.

"Houkou... You needn't EVER change... I like you just the way you are..." said Kiba with a smile as he wiped the tears from her face.

"Oh Kiba!" exclaimed Houkou as they suddenly embraced in a deep kiss.

Naruto blushed a bit, and cleared his throat.

"Ahem." said Naruto.

They continued to make-out as Kiba pushed her down onto his bed and pinned her there.

"AHEM!" said Naruto louder.

Houkou then responded to Kiba's pinning by swatting away his hands, flipping around onto her hands and knees as she began to lift up her shirt up and over her hips...

"Oh my God!!" exclaimed Naruto as he quickly vacated the room.

He was breathing deeply, as he stood out in the hall, blushing from the experience.

He took a moment to clear his head before going to the stairs.

"Well... He did say that I could stay the night..." said Naruto with a blush as he headed back downstairs, trying to forget what had happened.

He walked into the main room where he first entered, passing a door on his left.

"What? Did he turn you down?" asked Tsume from the room through the doorway.

Naruto could just up and tell her that he was Naruto in disguise, but he knew that Tsume was in the same age group as Hiashi, and that she might immediately turn him in.

So he decided to continue playing the part of being Hinata, the looks, the movements, and the voice.

"I t-tried to t-tell you before, I just want a place to s-stay for the night." stuttered Naruto

Suddenly Tsume came into the room, with a serious look on her face.

"Why do you need to stay here sweety? You have a home don't you?..." asked Tsume as she paused.

_'That bastard couldn't of... he wouldn't of... would he?'_ thought Tsume worriedly.

Tsume had known Hiashi for a long time, but didn't think that he would abandon his own daughter, especially one as sweet as Hinata.

Tsume looked down at her with a sympathetic face.

"You don't have a home to go to anymore... do you?" asked Tsume sadly.

Naruto's eyes expressed sadness, and he hung his head as indigo hair came down in front of his face, surprising him only slightly.

It was true, he no longer had a home to go to because of the ANBU that he was sure were patrolling it, so he technically wasn't lying, even though she thought that he was Hinata.

"Sweety, you can stay here as long as you like." said Tsume with a smile.

Naruto was relieved, at least now he had a place to stay where he would be safe.

"Th-thank you... It m-means alot..." said Naruto, keeping up the sad charade.

Tsume stepped forward, patted Naruto on the head, and went upstairs, probably to bed.

"Kiba! Jesus! Tone it down a bit! She's a girl. Not a punching bag for your penis!" exclaimed Tsume.

Naruto blushed to an extreme extent.

_'I will try to forget this ever happened...'_ thought Naruto as he headed into the other room Tsume was in.

"For god's sake! Your going to put her head through the wall, keep it down!" exclaimed Tsume before she loudly shut her own bedroom door.

_'I have a feeling that it will be harder to forget than I first thought.'_ thought Naruto with a blush as he went into the next room.

It was a quaint living room, with one table in the middle, a TV on a wooden stand to the left, and only one window that was just above the couch that rested against the opposite wall that was facing the TV.

Naruto shrugged, turned off the lights, and plopped himself down onto the couch.

He closed his eyes for a second or two, but couldn't get to sleep because of the incessant banging noise from upstairs.

He blushed, and opened his eyes to see Jaraiya's face inches from his.

"HOLY FU..." began Naruto as the Sannin covered his mouth with one hand and then looked around.

"Kid, I know it's you." said Jaraiya with a serious face.

Naruto looked shocked as he sat up, and stood next to the toad sage.

"Jaraiya..." said Naruto.

"You're in big trouble kid... so much trouble..." said Jaraiya as he shook his head.

"I know, it's not like I tried, or asked for it." said Naruto in defense.

"(Sigh) You sleep with a princess, kidnap her, disappear with her for a while, then you beat the crap out of the princess's father..." said Jaraiya.

Naruto was about to object, but Jaraiya cut him off.

"I know... I know, you two didn't do anything..." sighed Jaraiya.

Naruto blushed and looked down at the floor.

Jaraiya saw this and smiled very, very wide.

"Or DID you?" asked Jaraiya pervertedly.

"N-no! We just slept near each other, but that was it! Nothing else!" defended Naruto.

Naruto then began to tell him what he told Kiba, except without the panty incident, he knew that it would probably go straight into the next Icha Icha Paradise book.

Jaraiya thought about what Naruto explained to him over in his head.

_'My sexy senses are tingling... there must be something about his story he's not sharing, something... perverted...'_ thought Jaraiya.

_'Something sexual... what could it be?' _thought Jaraiya as he tried to go over the things in his head, but couldn't because of a noise from upstairs.

(Thud)(Thud)(Thud)

_'Okay, maybe that's it...'_ thought Jaraiya sheepishly.

_'(Sigh) I trust Naruto, and I believe him, but if what he says is true, he is in a lot of trouble, even if what he did was of good intentions.'_ thought Jaraiya.

"Naruto, I believe you, so don't worry about that, but... You are in a lot of trouble. Now, I'm not saying that you should, but I'm just going to _suggest_ that you come clean." said Jaraiya.

"W-What?! Hiashi would have me killed! I shared a bed with his daughter, _nothing happened_, I helped his daughter elude him, _he's overprotective_, then I beat him up, _that was fun_, and then..." said Naruto stressfully as he rubbed his temples.

"You impersonated his daughter as a bi-sexual." said Jaraiya with a smile.

_'I'm rubbin' off on the kid!'_ thought Jaraiya happily.

"That doesn't count as anything, I was just being funny... Wait! How did you know that?!" exclaimed Naruto as he pointed at him.

"It's called a window, how do you think I got in here?" asked Jaraiya.

He pointed to the window above the couch, which was wide open.

"Oh... Well...Why?" asked Naruto. Personally he didn't see too many bright sides to giving himself in.

"Well, I could tell from a good distance that it was unlocked, and I could sense your chakra signature using a seal from my vantage point into Tsume's room and..." began Jaraiya.

"No! I mean, why turn myself in?" asked Naruto impatiently.

"Well, if you really did nothing wrong, and Tsunade sees it that way, then everything should be fine, right?" asked Jaraiya.

Naruto sat quietly for a minute or so.

"I'll let you think about it." said Jaraiya.

He jumped out the window, and landed on the ground. Then he poked his head back in so Naruto could see him.

"I won't tell anyone you are here, or who you are... but remember, how long will it take before someone realizes that Hinata is in two places at once?" asked Jaraiya as he turned and jumped away.

"Damn..." whispered Naruto.

He was right...

* * *

At Naruto's apartment, Hinata landed at the front door of the complex, strangely getting no reaction at all.

"Weird." whispered Hinata.

She stumbled around her pockets, and found Naruto's jacket, that he had given her at Ichiraku's.

She blushed when she took out the jacket, marveling at it's warmth.

She reached around the jacket, and pulled out Naruto's house key.

She took the key and put it into the lock. She tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

Suddenly, a hole in the wall opened up next to the door, and a speaker came out.

_"Identification please."_ said the machine.

She paused for a moment.

_'I didn't know Naruto had a security system... It's kind of cool...' _thought Hinata.

She took out her identification card that she used to get through Konoha's gates after every mission.

_'I doubt this will work, it will probably only take Naruto's card...'_ thought Hinata.

She swiped it into the slot on the left of the speaker.

_"Identity accepted, welcome Hinata Hyuuga."_ said the speaker as the door opened.

She was shocked as the door opened and let her in.

_'It... It let me in?! But why?'_ thought Hinata skeptically, considering that it could have been a malfunction, until she suddenly remembered something Naruto had said:

_"Here. If you ever need a place to crash, you can stay at my place for free." said Naruto._

"Na-Naruto..." whispered Hinata.

_"Take it. It is perfectly alright. Any time you feel like you need someone to talk to, or someplace to get away, or sleep, just stay at my place." said Naruto._

_'He is always so nice, giving to others with out a care in the world about his own well-being' _thought Hinata with a happy sigh as she clutched her heart.

She went inside, and locked the door behind her. She then flicked on the lights, surprisingly finding no one to fight her.

She looked around memorizing every bit of the room. She had never been inside Naruto's apartment before, and she was very excited.

It was very small, and unexpectedly clean. He barely had anything that looked new, most everything in the room looked as though it had been found in the dump, then restored a bit before being cleaned.

_'Naruto-kun must be very poor...'_ thought Hinata sadly.

A little taken aback but still happy, she put the key into her pocket, and took off her equipment bag, and put it down on the table.

She walked to the right to see that there was another doorway. She went down it to discover that there was washing machine in the other room.

_'My clothes are still covered with ash and dirt from my absence from civilization...' _thought Hinata.

She knew that nobody was looking and felt confident enough, so she began to strip down.

She took off everything, and threw her clothing into the washer. She added detergent and soap, then closed the machine and started it.

The machine looked very old, and barely worked but it would suffice, although it would take a long time she soon realized. After that realization, she also realized that she was nude.

She saw a towel hanging on a towel-rack to the wall on the left of the machine, so she wrapped it around herself so that it covered her appropriately.

She walked into the next room, and moved over to Naruto bed.

The sight of Naruto's bed made her blush, as she realized what they could do on it.

She blushed deeply as he sat down.

She sat for a few minutes. She merely sat there, feeling the warmth and silkiness of the sheets. They felt just as silky as the inner-lining of Naruto's jacket.

She suddenly had a strong urge.

She laid down on the bed, and took in a very deep breath as she took in the scent.

It absolutely reeked of Naruto, but not in a bad way. It didn't smell of sweat, but it just smelled deeply of Naruto's scent.

The smell was almost like a high to her as she fantasized about the blond.

She was suddenly brought out of her fantasy world by a loud thud next to her.

"Naruto?! Are you here?!" exclaimed Tsunade as she looked around the room, not even noticing Hinata because she had jumped over her.

Suddenly Hinata wished she could disappear. She was in Naruto apartment, on his bed, with nothing on but a towel.

She stayed quiet, hoping that she wouldn't notice her.

Tsunade turned and looked right at her, then continued to look around the room again, before jerking her head back towards Hinata.

"Hin-Hinata?!" exclaimed Tsunade as she pointed at Hinata, wide agape mouth and wide blank eyes.

Then, Tsunade got a better look at her to see that she was only wearing a towel.

Tsunade went from surprised to angry very quickly as she scoured the room.

"Where are you Naruto?!" shouted Tsunade angrily.

_'How dare he take advantage of such a nice girl...'_ thought Tsunade as she flipped over the table to check under it, breaking the table.

"H-H-He isn't h-here" stuttered Hinata, barely loud enough for Tsunade to her.

"Hm! Little bastard just left afterwords did he?! That inconsiderate..." muttered Tsunade as she clenched her fists.

"N-no! He hasn't b-been here in d-days..." stuttered Hinata.

Tsunade was surprised at this new revelation, then she took a good look at Hinata.

She was practically all red from embarrassment, and had Naruto's sheets wrapped around her, to keep herself concealed as much as possible.

"He hasn't? Then, Why are you here?" asked Tsunade curiously and suspiciously.

"He-he g-gave me a k-key, and t-told me I c-could come here to s-s-stay..." stuttered Hinata.

"Probably just trying to get you alone in bed, the little creep..." muttered Tsunade.

She was still getting it all wrong.

"N-No! N-Naruto gave me this key so that if I ever n-needed a place t-to talk, be alone, be with someone, or j-just sleep, Naruto-kun s-said that I was welcome w-whenever

I chose to visit." said Hinata with slightly less stuttering.

Tsunade was surprised at this and thought for a moment.

"So... he hasn't taken advantage of you... in ANY way?" asked Tsunade just to be sure.

Hinata blushed at the insinuation, but shook her head no.

"Then why are you nearly naked?" asked Tsunade.

"M-m-my c-clothes... d-dirty... woods..." stuttered Hinata, now getting more and more quiet.

Hinata was a little bit okay with talking to the Hokage as long as she was covered, but when she mentioned that she was nearly naked, she got all worked up again.

"Oh I see... So that's where Naruto took you... So... He DIDN'T do anything?" asked Tsunade skeptically.

Hinata shook her head no, while blushing at the floor.

Tsunade looked surprised, then calmed down a bit.

"Hinata... I'm assuming the reason you disappeared was because you were mad at your father, right?" asked Tsunade with a more serious voice.

Tsunade didn't really want to prod, but Hinata was almost considered a missing nin, and being as motherly as she was, she was naturally worried.

Hinata was hesitant to respond, but sadly nodded her head.

"I understand, and I won't patronize you on your actions... but, I'm going to have to ask you some questions..." said Tsunade.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

Sorry it took so long to update, I kept having to rewrite the chapter, because something was wrong with my Microsoft word...  
And this week was mid-terms, Had to study!  
The next chapter is going to be politically stressful, yet funny in some ways.  
And for those of you wondering, _'What is the purpose of Tyler?!'_ He has an important purpose in this story, and I really can't tell you more than that.  
Yes, there are two techniques that aren't translated. Its for a good reason, don't worry.  
Until next time, Yarms!!!


	29. Realization

**_My Heart's Lavender Eyes_**

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

**_Kyuubi_**

**Other enormous beings**

**_(Lemon) _**if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. I understand that some people would rather skip it because of inappropriate stuff, but not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?  
Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 29:**

**Realization...**

**

* * *

**  
Tsunade closed her eyes and rubbed her temples in frustration.

"An autograph!?!?!" exclaimed Tsunade to herself.

She still couldn't believe that was why Tyler had broken into Konoha, it hardly seemed worth it to her, but maybe it was to him... No. There had to be something he was concealing, some sort of hidden agenda, or master plan... but what?

"Tsunade, don't think so hard about it." said Shizune as she walked up to the desk.

"(Sigh) If I don't then who will?" asked Tsunade.

She had a point, Tsunade was the Hokage, but she was also considered head of village security.

"..."

"Hinata didn't give me enough information." said Tsunade with another sigh.

Shizune looked surprised and she put Tonton onto the floor.

"Hinata? You talked to her? She's back?" asked Shizune quickly.

"Yes to all three." said Tsunade, still rubbing her temples.

"Well, don't leave me in suspense, what did she say?" asked Shizune eagerly.

"Oink!" agreed Tonton just as eagerly.

"Well, let me sum it up: Naruto protected Hinata from her father while hiding himself, that intruder just wanted an autograph from Naruto, Naruto beat up her father for Hinata then brought him to the hospital, and finally Hinata stayed at Naruto's while Naruto is now somewhere in the city." said Tsunade as though she had already said it hundreds of times. Well, she hadn't said it at all until now, but she had certainly thought it enough times.

Shizune was quiet for a minute as she thought about what to say.

As shizune stood in front of Tsunade's desk, she stared at the floor next to Tonton, as Tonton mimicked her as they both appreared to be in thought.

After a few moments, Shizune looked up from the floor.

"Naruto is in big trouble." said Shizune as she continued to think.

"Oink..." agreed Tonton sadly.

"I know." said Tsunade while still rubbing her temples.

"I can't believe that he beat Hiashi! Hiashi is one of our best! If he lost to Naruto, what hope do we have?!" exclaimed Shizune as she grabbed her hair in frustration.

"You're looking at it the wrong way. Hiashi is one of our best fighters, and we are the strongest village right now, and that makes Hiashi one of the best ever, so if Naruto beat him, then that just means that Naruto is simply becoming a better fighter. Which to me, is only a plus to our village." said Tsunade while she stared at her desktop.

Shizune looked surprised for a moment and let her hands drop to her sides. Shizune smirked, and then plopped down on the chair in front of the desk.

After a few moments, Shizune's face changed to concerned, and Tsunade knew what was coming.

"Shouldn't we do something?" asked Shizune.

"(Sigh) Like what?" asked Tsunade tiredly.

"How about notifying her father where she is staying?!" exclaimed Shizune.

Hiashi had been bugging them every few hours, wondering if they knew where his daughter was. Until late yesterday when he suddenly stopped coming to the office. Tsunade wasn't really concerned at the time. She just assumed he got tired of coming in to bother them. But then a few hours later Hiashi showed up in the Konoha hospital nearly dead, or at least he appeared bad enough to be called so.

"No way in hell, she and Naruto went through a lot of trouble to avoid Hiashi and his bounty hunters, and now that they are concealed, we are going to keep it that way." said Tsunade firmly.

Shizune looked shocked for a second, then nodded, Tsunade was right, they had been through a lot.

"Okay then, but what about the repercussions of threatening the life of an Elite Jounin?" asked Shizune.

"That's what I'm stressing out about now..." began Tsunade.

Shizune looked at her worriedly from across the desk.

"I'm worried if Naruto is okay right now, he could be having his life threatened by bounty-hunters this very second. And even if we found him, and we know he's okay, he still has a trial to look forward to that could ruin or end his life. And if that isn't enough, he also has to worry about the Akatsuki, the Bijuu, and Sasuke maybe turning back over to the wrong side, and..." said Tsunade as she now started to tear up, stopping for a second to breathe.

She shoved her face into her crossed arms and cried for a bit, which greatly disturbed Shizune, Tsunade was never like this...

"And it's mostly my fault, if I hadn't told him about the Bijuu, or any of that junk, he would be fine right now. He would only have to worry about Sasuke, but no! I was an idiot and screwed up his life! Or what's left of it after the village people viciously chewed on it all these years and..." rambled Tsunade into her arms as she started to become incomprehensible.

"I didn't know that band hated Naruto..." said Shizune thoughtfully.

Tsunade looked up at her for a second, then plopped her head back down into her folded arms and kept muttering things into her sleeves while slightly sobbing.

Tsunade was just piling more and more things on a mental list that she could blame on herself, and it wasn't helping, but Shizune didn't know what to say, she had never seen her like this before.

Suddenly, Hinata burst through the door, and slammed it loudly behind her. Then she braced herself back against the door and spread out her arms to keep it from opening.

She looked wide-eyed and very distraught.

Tsunade was promptly brought out of her depression by this new occurrence, and looked more concerned and surprised than anything.

"Hinata?! What's wrong? What happened?!" asked Tsunade quickly as she wiped the tears from her face.

Suddenly there was a banging noise against the door, and the door threatened to give way.

Tsunade got wide-eyed, and began to run up to the door so that she could help block it.

Before she could get there, the door burst open, sending Hinata flying through the air, and she landed behind Tsunade's desk with a thud.

"Where is he?!" exclaimed a voice.

Surprisingly, it was Neji, looking very pissed.

"Neji!!!" shouted Tsunade.

Neji didn't look like he calmed down, but he looked at Tsunade.

"What is the meaning of this?! And who is HE?" asked Tsunade quickly.

"Naruto! Where is Naruto?!" shouted Neji angrily.

That name struck a nerve in Tsunade.

"I DON'T KNOW!!!" shouted Tsunade angrily back.

Neji actually jumped back at the Hokage's outburst, and held his hands out defensively.

"I don't know okay! I. Don't. Know. I've been looking for him for days now..." said Tsunade sadly.

Neji calmed down, and stood normally.

"I am sorry, it's just that I heard Hinata talking to Ten Ten, and I heard Hinata say that she had spent a night sleeping with Naruto, and knowing Naruto and Hinata, I would assume that Naruto would have taken advantage of her, and that thought made me furious, she is like a sister to me." said Neji as he looked down at the floor.

Hearing this, Tsunade suddenly wasn't mad, not anymore... at least for a while.

"It's alright, but I already talked to Hinata, and she said specifically that Naruto had been nothing but a gentleman to her. They didn't do anything." said Tsunade.

Neji visibly relaxed, he trusted the word of the Hokage greatly.

"Alright, thank you Ms. Hokage." said Neji with a bow as he turned around and left without saying another word.

"Owwie..." muttered a voice from behind the desk.

Tsunade turned around to see Hinata getting up from behind her desk, rubbing her left shoulder.

"Oh! Hinata! Are you alright!?" asked Tsunade as she rushed over.

Hinata quickly stood and blushed.

"Y-yes, sorry." said Hinata.

"What happened back there anyways?" asked Shizune.

"I w-was talking t-to Ten Ten, and when I told her where I had b-been for the l-last few d-days, I s-saw th-that Neji overheard what I s-said, and I f-figured out where he w-was going, so I t-tried to p-prevent him from doing anything d-drastic." said Hinata quietly.

To Tsunade, Hinata looked more shy than usual around her, she usually only stuttered a couple of times in an entire conversation, and now she was nervous for some reason.

"Are you sure you're alright?" asked Shizune.

"Y-yes, I only got th-thrown is all." said Hinata.

Tsunade looked at Hinata suspiciously, but knowing Hinata, she probably just wanted to cause the least amount of fuss as possible.

"Okay, well, now that the situation is taken care of... Hinata, tell me the truth, you know where Naruto is don't you?" asked Tsunade.

Hinata blushed then hesitated before looking at the floor and muttering "Yes..."

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly.

"Where? Hinata, tell me. You need to tell me now." demanded Tsunade.

Hinata hesitated, but seemed to give in.

"He... is within 100 y-yards of us r-right now..." whispered Hinata.

Tsunade eyes widened visibly.

"Scan the area surrounding the tower within a diameter of 200 yards! All ANBU are to report to this task!" exclaimed Tsunade quickly.

"Yes Hokage-sama." said a voice.

An ANBU operative with a hawk mask dropped from the ceiling down onto the floor. He was covered in bandages, and had a splint.

Tsunade didn't ask, and the operative disappeared from the room.

Hinata had a smirk on her face, but when the Hokage turned to face her, she dropped the smirk, and had the same shy expression.

Tsunade didn't notice this, and she walked over to Hinata.

"Honey, I know you wouldn't just openly reveal Naruto's location to us, but even if that was a white lie to get the ANBU away from Naruto, wherever he is, I couldn't pass up any possibility. Now, I know you know where he is. And I know how you feel about him." said Tsunade.

Hinata's eyes widened and she looked a bit shook up.

"But for his own good, he needs to come out from hiding." said Tsunade.

"..."

"Tsunade-sama. Un." said Deidara from the doorway.

Hinata's eyes widened at the voice as she turned to face an Akatsuki member in the tell-tale wardrobe.

She dropped into Tiger stance, but then for some reason, changed to Jyuuken.

"You! You're Deidara!" exclaimed Hinata.

Deidara looked surprised, staring at the small girl in front of him.

"Un. Do I know you? Un." asked Deidara.

Hinata paused for a moment, as though she wasn't sure what to say.

"N-Naruto t-told me about y-you. You captured Gaara, N-Naruto's friend, and n-nearly had him killed!" accused Hinata with a determined face.

Deidara looked to Tsunade and she nodded in approval, telling him it was okay to tell her...

"No. No. That was all just a ruse, an act. Un. I am an undercover agent in the Akatsuki, me and a few others are trying to bring them down. I assure you, everything I did was an act, I never actually tried to cause harm to Naruto-kun, or his perverted teacher. Un." said Deidara.

Hinata looked very surprised, but kept up the stance.

"N-no. You almost k-killed them w-with that b-big bomb!" exclaimed Hinata.

"Again. It was just an act, Kakashi was in on it, and he knew I would use that technique. Un." said Deidara as he strolled over to Hinata casually and stood not a foot away from her.

"Kakashi said he would make my bomb disappear, I didn't doubt Kakashi for a second, I know he is very skilled, Un." said Deidara casually.

"B-but, Gaara died... you k-killed him." said Hinata quietly through her teeth.

"That loss was tragic, but it could not be stopped if we were to stay hidden covertly in the organization. I am truly sorry that we killed him, Un, even though he was brought back to life anyways, I still felt bad, I saw the look on Naruto-kun's face when he saw his friend's dead body, it made me want to punish myself for my crime. Un." said Deidara as he stared at the floor sadly.

Hinata looked surprised, and then dropped from her stance.

"Well, that is all water under the bridge now, Un. But I need to continue, otherwise all of these losses were for nothing, Un." said Deidara, as he extended his hand.

"Friends? Un?" asked Deidara.

Hinata looked to Tsunade, who nodded.

"It's all true, I'll tell you all about it later." said Tsunade.

Hinata smiled and extended her hand in return.

"Friends." said Hinata with a small smile.

"So, are you doing anything later? Un?" asked Deidara with a perverted smile.

Hinata took her hand away from his and jumped back a couple feet.

"I am t-taken!" exclaimed Hinata.

Everyone was shocked at this; even Tsunade was looking at her in surprise.

"You aren't single Hinata?" asked Tsunade with a still surprised face.

Hinata seemed caught off guard for being caught in everyone's stares as they all expected to know who it was.

"N-no, I'm not." said Hinata.

"Who is it then?" asked Shizune.

Hinata blushed and looked at the floor as she twiddled her fingers.

"N-Naruto..." whispered Hinata barely loud enough for Tsunade to hear her.

"Oh! Un! You're that chick that Kakashi-sama talked about! Un! He said that Naruto-kun had a girl who was after him! But when I saw you, I didn't peg you as a girl who would go for someone like Naruto-kun. Un." said Deidara with a large smile as he put his hands on his hips.

"Well! Good for you! Un!" said Deidara happily.

Hinata looked shocked as though she had learned some new information, and she had her mouth open as though she didn't believe what he had said.

"Kakashi..." muttered Hinata.

Suddenly the door opened, and Hinata appeared in the doorway.

"Tsunade-sama, I was wondering..." said Hinata as she suddenly stopped her approach in shock.

She looked into the room to see an Akatsuki member, but that wasn't what surprised her, it was the fact that she was looking at herself who stood in the middle of the room next to the Akatsuki.

"Wait, within 100 feet... Get her! That's Naruto!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Suddenly Deidara appeared behind the Hinata at the door, and caught her in a headlock.

Tsunade walked calmly up to the Hinata at the door, and smirked.

"You thought you could hide from ME Naruto? You are in a lot of trouble!" exclaimed Tsunade as she suddenly pointed her fingers at Hinata's figure.

"Release!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Hinata still stood there in Deidara's grip, and nothing had happened.

"What? Wait, within a hundred feet! Then that means..." began Tsunade.

She turned to see that the first Hinata that came in was gone.

"OH GOD DAMN IT!!" shouted Tsunade.

* * *

"Just walk casually..." muttered Naruto.

He was in the street, walking with all of the other villagers, trying not to stand out.

"Just got to keep walking... walking..." muttered Naruto.

He noticed two ANBU members on the rooftops that seemed to be following him.

"Just got to keep jogging... jogging..." muttered Naruto nervously as he quickened his pace.

More ANBU operatives showed up on the rooftops.

"Just got to start running... running..." said Naruto even more nervously as he quickened to a slow run.

More ANBU appeared along with Tsunade.

"SPRINTING! SPRINTING!! JUST GOT TO KEEP SPRINTING! SPRINTING!!" screamed Naruto as he ran as fast as he could through the streets.

Suddenly, he saw someone he was actually glad to see for once.

"Neji!" shouted Naruto with Hinata's voice.

Neji turned to see Hinata's form running towards him.

Naruto turned quickly and hid on the other side of Neji.

"Neji, they are t-trying to get me!" exclaimed Naruto with a panicked voice.

_'Surely Neji will protect Hinata...'_ thought Naruto.

Neji put his Divination seal out, and spread it to include himself and Naruto in the middle.

"Stay back!" shouted Neji. Neji used a small Kaiten to ward them off, throwing a cloud of dust into the air from the streams of air pressure flowing off of the chakra shield.

Tsunade landed on the street, a good distance away from Neji, as did most of the ANBU.

"What is the meaning of this?" asked Neji with a stern voice as the dust fully cleared.

"We need to apprehend Naruto!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"I know that, but why are you chasing Hinata?" asked Neji sternly again.

"That's not Hinata! It's Naruto!" exclaimed Tsunade irritably.

"Naruto?" said Neji.

Neji turned to see where Hinata's form was standing; there was a hole in the ground.

"..."

"God damn it he's good at that!" exclaimed Tsunade through her teeth.

"Follow him! Follow that tunnel!" shouted Tsunade.

Most of the ANBU members dived into the hole, while the others flew off in different directions.

Tsunade was left with Neji standing in the street.

"Why was Naruto henged like Hinata? Why were you chasing him?" asked Neji.

"Well, he has crimes against a very high ranked, and high standing Ninja." said Tsunade.

"Hiashi..." said Neji.

Neji had obviously been one of the first to know about his uncle's condition at the hospital, being personally trained by him, so it made since that he would know.

"Hai. And now, I think it would be wise if we went to my office so I could discuss the situation to you." said Tsunade.

"Alright." said Neji as he followed Tsunade to her office.

There in the office, Tsunade sat behind her desk, and Neji, Hinata, Deidara, and Kakashi stood in front of her desk.

Tsunade explained to them an in-depth explanation of the current situation involving Naruto.

After she finished, Tsunade sat in her chair, looking back and forth between the ninja to gauge their reactions.

"So what you're saying is that Naruto is going to have a trial as soon as he is caught?" asked Neji calmly.

"Yes." said Tsunade.

"Th-that hardly seems fair! The elders will be p-present as a section of the j-jury! They w-won't be fair with N-Naruto..." complained Hinata.

"Yes, I know." said Tsunade just as calmly as before.

"But really, all Naruto needs to do, is show up, come clean to what he did, stand trial, and pay for his actions. Un." said Deidara.

"That won't work, the truth will surely be slandered by Hiashi, it won't matter what Naruto did, but rather what Hiashi says he did. And that is why he is still in hiding." pointed out Kakashi.

"Right, I hate to say it, but Kakashi is correct, my uncle has gotten desperate, and will probably do anything to keep Hinata at home, and if that involves taking Naruto away from her, than to him it is of no consolation." said Neji as he rubbed his left shoulder as though in a slight amount of pain.

Neji then looked over to Hinata and studied her features and emotions.

Hinata looked at Neji's shoulder for a second, then looked at his face.

"H-Hai. Y-You are right. I like Naruto, and my father is d-desperate for some r-reason, but whatever the reason, the situation still remains the same." said Hinata sadly.

Neji looked slightly happy for a moment, but immediately went back to his statuesque self.

"Hinata... What do you... like about Naruto?" asked Neji.

Hinata looked up at him questioningly, and he returned the same look.

"W-well, I like how he n-never g-gives up. I like how h-he never lets s-someone innocent s-suffer. He h-has a good heart, and h-he is very nice and gentle when he needs to be.

He makes me laugh and giggle with his antics even though his good nature is usually a cover-up for the pain he experiences... But the pain is nothing to him, he puts himself in danger to save another and thinks nothing of it. He encourages others, and he gives me confidence... He makes me feel...wonderful... in more ways than one. He is handsome, he is strong, and he can be smart when he wants to... He is... Naruto." finished Hinata with a blush.

Tsunade was surprised, Hinata had said all of that mostly without stuttering, and she had said a lot about Naruto that made Tsunade happy to know that Naruto had such an effect on people.

Of everyone there, Neji looked the most surprised, he had his mouth open with a blush, and he didn't take his eyes off of Hinata.

"N-Neji you are staring..." said Hinata.

Neji shook his head.

"Sorry, it is just hard to believe you see so much in one person." said Neji as he regained his calm posture.

"Right, so Tsunade...Un." said Deidara.

"Yes Deidara?" asked Tsunade.

"Do you have anything else to say? Un?" said Deidara.

"Why? Do you have something planned?" asked Tsunade suspiciously.

"Yeah. Un." said Deidara.

"Yeah yeah? Two things? You have two things planned?" asked Tsunade. ("Un" means Yeah.)

"No. Un." said Deidara.

"No yeah? Yes and no!? What do you mean? Do you mean yes or no?" asked Tsunade with a confused face.

"I mean no. Un." said Deidara.

"No yeah again?! Are you messing with me?!" asked Tsunade irritably.

"No. Un." said Deidara.

"(grrrr...) Look! Just tell me what you're plans are." said Tsunade angrily.

"I rather not say, Un." said Deidara.

"You'd rather not say yeah?" asked Tsunade.

"No..."

"..."

"...Un."

"THAT'S IT!" screamed Tsunade.

She jumped over the desk and smashed her fist into Deidara.

To Tsunade's surprise, her fist went right through him, and white goop splattered all over the wall. Deidara had a large hole in his left side where her fists connected.

The clay sat for second on the wall and floor, then all accumulated back to Deidara's form, and the clay regained his color and shape until he looked normal again.

"Look, I'll just have to talk to you later, it is getting near lunch time, and I have an appointment to meet. Un." said Deidara.

Deidara's form then seeped through small cracks in the floor.

They all stood in silence, gaping at Deidara's weird ability.

"Tsunade-sama, I wanted to ask you..." said a voice from the door.

They all turned to see a surprised Neji standing at the door.

Tsunade looked from the Neji that stood beside her, to the Neji at the door.

"Impostor!" screamed the Neji next to Tsunade.

Before anyone could do anything to stop him, the screaming Neji flew forward, and put his index and middle finger on Neji's forehead.

"Release!" shouted Neji.

The Neji at the doorway disappeared in a poof of smoke, and was replaced with a surprised looking Naruto.

"Gah! Not again!" exclaimed Naruto as he zipped out of the room.

Tsunade and Kakashi quickly ran after Naruto as Neji and Hinata stood alone in the room.

Neji turned to Hinata, then suddenly turned and enveloped her in a close embrace.

"Hinata..." whispered Neji softly.

"N-Neji!" exclaimed Hinata in surprise.

Neji had his hand on her lower back, and this approach didn't sit well with Hinata.

Hinata tried to squirm away in reaction.

'What is wrong with Neji?!' thought Hinata as she desperately tried to escape.

Such an approach disgusted her, Neji was her cousin!

Neji held on tightly to her and forced her to stop moving.

Before she could protest, Neji stopped her head from moving and looked directly at her face.

"I told you I would get in contact with you someway..." said Neji with smirk.

Hinata gasped and looked up into Neji's eyes.

"Naruto?" asked Hinata quietly.

Neji's eyes flashed a shining cerlean blue for a second before returning to Neji's eyes.

"Yes, it's me Hinata." said Naruto in Neji's form with a smile.

"N-Naruto..." whispered Hinata with a huge blush.

Hinata realized he had heard everything she had said. Sure, she didn't admit she had any feelings for him, but she did tell him nearly everything she liked about him.

"Quickly, Hinata, we haven't much time." said Naruto.

Naruto was hinting for them to start communicating as quickly as possible, and she got the hint, so she asked the first question on her mind.

"How?" asked Hinata immediately.

Naruto looked confused for a moment, but realized what she was asking.

"I got chased by Tsunade while in your form, and I ran into Neji, when he used Kaiten, it kicked up dust that allowed me to take Neji's form and make a separate shadow clone that took Neji underground where I could talk to him. I told him that I needed his help to talk to you, and surprisingly he agreed. I told him to come into Tsunade's office after a certain amount of time, and I told him that when I ran up to him and performed a fake release technique, that he should transform into my form, and distract Tsunade so that we could talk. I dispersed my shadow clone after that and received the information, all I had to do was wait until the right time." said Naruto quickly.

He almost said it too quickly, but Hinata absorbed every word.

"Now, are you alright? What happened? Has Hiashi gotten to you? Have you gotten any trouble from being with me in the woods?" asked Naruto quickly and worriedly.

Hinata was shocked that Naruto worried so much about her, and it made her heart float. But she had to answer as quickly as she could.

"I am f-fine. I have b-been staying at your house with no trouble. I have not heard anything from my father, and nobody has s-said anything to me about our disappearance aside from Tsunade, and I-I explained everything to her." said Hinata quickly.

Naruto took a moment to absorb everything, and he let relief swim through him.

"Good, I have been fine as well, nothing bad has happened, I have been staying at Kiba's, but now I don't know where I could henge to next." said Naruto in the same quick manner.

"You could stay at my house." suggested Hinata.

She had thought it, and said it too quickly before she could stop herself.

Hinata blushed and couldn't look him in the eyes as she backed away a bit.

"How?" asked Naruto.

"W-well, Hiashi is in the hospital, and even if he wasn't, the last place he would look for you would be the Hyuuga Estate." said Hinata quickly.

She was so embarrassed, but she really liked the idea of Naruto in her room.

Naruto looked as though he were about to reject the idea, but then they heard voices from the hall getting louder.

"Okay! Meet me in your room in 10 minutes!" exclaimed Naruto as he jumped out the window.

Just after Naruto left, Tsunade and Kakashi ran back into the room to find Hinata standing alone.

"GAH!!" exclaimed Tsunade as she gripped her hair in frustration.

Hinata looked at her questionably.

"Neji explained everything about Naruto's trick, which he did in detail in order to buy you two more time..." said Kakashi.

Kakashi did not look amused, but Hinata could never really tell what mood he was in except for when his right eye showed happiness. But right now it wasn't happiness, it was a half-open eye staring right at Hinata, and she felt uncomfortable, like she was about to be interrogated.

"Hinata, where is Naruto?" asked Kakashi calmly.

It was hard for Hinata to lie, and most people that knew her could tell when she did, so she did the only thing that popped into her head.

Suddenly Hinata turned on her heel, and jumped out of the window.

"..."

"She does know that we aren't on the first floor right?" asked Tsunade.

(Crash)(Squish!)

"My Fruit!! Why!? Why does this keep happening to me!?"

"S-sorry!" exclaimed Hinata's voice faintly.

Suddenly an ANBU dropped from the ceiling.

"Should we give chase?" asked the operative.

"No, let them be. When the time comes, Naruto will hopefully step forward." said Tsunade as she dismissed the ANBU member.

_'Maybe if I give him time, he will come around... and after he does, Naruto won't have to hide anymore...'_ thought Tsunade.

* * *

Hinata was running as fast as she could, she had to make it to Naruto in time, but she still did not have permission to stay at the Hyuuga estate, she didn't think of that when she suggested it. But now, the only option open to her would be to suck it up, and apologize to her father, even if he really didn't deserve it.

Hinata entered the hospital out of breath, and the receptionist immediately recognized her and hurried her down a corridor.

"Your father has been worried sick about you!" exclaimed the nurse as she hurried Hinata along.

The nurse shoved her into a room, and shut the door.

Hinata looked to her left to see a bed with her father on it.

He had recovered a bit from the attack, but only enough to not be unconscious.

Hiashi was wrapped in bandages, and had a cast on his right leg and left arm. He also had a back brace, and a neck brace from the collision to the ground.

"Hinata." said Hiashi in surprise.

He did not expect his daughter to come back so willingly.

"How are you doing... father?" asked Hinata while staring at the floor.

The situation was very awkward; she had helped Naruto beat her own father after all.

"I am fine, the doctors say that I will make a full recovery in a few months." said Hiashi emotionlessly.

Hinata was used to her father being nearly monotone and emotionless, but showing no emotion when your own daughter comes to see you in the hospital after you tried so hard to get to her? It bugged her a great deal, but she didn't show it.

"That's good." said Hinata.

_'Might as well get this over with.'_ thought Hinata with a sigh.

"I am sorry." said Hinata with a deep bow.

She hated doing this, but for Naruto, she would do so much more.

"What?" asked Hiashi.

"I am sorry for disobeying you, and for beating you. Now that I have seen you in this condition it makes me feel horrible that I did it, and I am sorry." said Hinata while keeping her bow. It wasn't all lies, she really did feel sorry for doing that to her own father, he may be a jerk, but he was still her father.

Hiashi was shocked to say the least. He did not expect this so suddenly from Hinata after all of that running around and hiding that they did.

"Please forgive me." said Hinata.

Hiashi almost didn't know what to say, but he regained himself.

"Hinata, are you... In tact?" asked Hiashi.

While in her bow, Hinata gritted her teeth. She knew that Hiashi was asking if she was still a virgin, and she also knew that he was only asking because she needed to be kept "In tact" for a pure blood Hyuuga husband for when she became head of the clan.

"Yes." said Hinata simply, not giving away any of her emotions.

"Good. I was worried." said Hiashi.

He did feel sorry for attacking them to get her back, he didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't want her away from himself at a time like this either.

"Will you ever forgive me?" asked Hinata, not breaking her gaze from the floor.

"What you did was bad, but understandable. I wasn't really respecting you the way I should have." said Hiashi as he adjusted himself on the bed.

That caught Hinata's attention; she looked up from the floor to her father's face, which actually showed compassion for once.

Now she didn't know what to say.

"I am sorry also. But what happened won't just fly by, there will be consequences." said Hiashi.

Hinata was expecting this, so it didn't really surprise her.

_'Will he demote me? Will he take away my right as heiress?'_ thought Hinata pessimistically.

"I know." said Hinata.

"Yet you came back." said Hiashi.

"You are my father, I love you." said Hinata.

That wasn't lie either, but she couldn't deny the bitterness in her mind.

Hiashi held a small smile, and tipped himself upright so he could better see her.

"I am sorry for banishing you for merely disobeying my request that you come home. You are growing into a fine young woman; you can make some decisions on your own now. But just so you know, you are always welcome at the Hyuuga estate, and I do respect you." said Hiashi.

That was what she wanted to hear, she couldn't believe he had said it, but he did!

"Father!" exclaimed Hinata.

She quickly walked across the room, and hugged her father.

She was so happy that her father was finally beginning to understand her. She knew there would be consequences for her actions, but she would have to deal with those later.

Right now she was hugging her father, something she hadn't done since she was very little.

Hiashi hugged her back and felt a tear roll down his face.

"Hinata..." whispered Hiashi.

"Yes father?" asked Hinata.

"..."

"What smells like fruit?" asked Hiashi.

Hinata blushed remembering her abrupt exit from the Hokage' tower.

Hiashi smiled seeing her blush and decided not to ask.

"Go on home now, get rid of some stress." said Hiashi with a smile.

Hinata smiled, hugged him one last time, and headed for the door.

"Oh, and Hinata..." said Hiashi.

Hinata stopped at the doorway and looked back at her father.

"We are going to need to have a talk about this later, but for now..."

Hinata was worried about the talk, but she waited for her father to finish speaking.

"Just be sure that your sister stays out of the liquor cabinet." said Hiashi.

Hinata stifled a giggle at her father's joke, but he didn't look amused.

"Seriously, keep a sharp eye on her." said Hiashi with a stern face.

"H-hai!" said Hinata with a bow and a smile as she left her father to think.

_'I'm growing soft...' _thought Hiashi.

He looked to his left to see out of the window. There was tree blocking the view, so there wasn't much to see other than leaves and a bird's nest.

The baby bird's cries of discomfort could be heard through the window, as they were probably cold and hungry.

He watched the mother bird feed her young for several minutes, then cuddle with them to be sure that they were comfortable and warm.

"Maybe that's exactly what I need to be..." said Hiashi to himself as he let his mind drift into a deep sleep.

* * *

Hinata was running out of the hospital, she was sure to tell the nurses that she was fine, and that her father had gotten to say what he needed to say.

She ran through the door a bit too quickly, and didn't look where she was going.

(Crack!)

As soon as she left the hospital, she ran into someone, and fell onto her butt.

"Owwie..." said Hinata as she rubbed forehead.

She quickly got up and bowed to the person she bumped into.

"G-gomen! I didn't watch where I was going, are you alright sir?" asked Hinata.

"I am fine, thank you very much Ms. Hyuuga." said the stranger.

That formal address caught her attention; it was probably someone she knew.

She got a better look at him through the light from the sun that blinded her vision.

"Oh Tyler! How are you doing?" asked Hinata politely.

"Oh fine, very fine indeed! Thank you for asking." said Tyler with a smile.

Hinata then realized something.

"Tyler! What are you still doing here? You are considered an intruder after that incident!" exclaimed Hinata quietly.

"Really?" asked Tyler after he blinked once.

"I've been walking around all day, and nobody has said a thing..." said Tyler with a shrug.

"Oh well, when they confront me, I'll just show them my I.D. Well, gotta go, a friend of mine is in the hospital, shot himself in the foot." said Tyler as he walked past her with a wave, and he disappeared through the hospital doors.

Hinata looked at the door to see that a picture of Tyler was posted on the door with a physical description, rank, and reward.

Hinata sweat dropped.

"Maybe we should think about getting more ANBU..." muttered Hinata as she hurried off to her home.

* * *

It was cold, very moist and cold. The dirt that made up the floor seemed to be randomly patterned into a type of tile, but that didn't make it a good floor. The walls were covered in a similar strange pattern, and there were many corridors to choose from.

He knew that he had to get into the examination chamber in time, or Orochimaru would be furious.

He looked down at his watch to see that he only had a few minutes to spare. He figured he could make it on time, but it was WHO made him late that surprised him.

(Flashback)

He was walking back to the base, just after gathering the new kinds of medicinal herbs he needed from the fire country. It was risky to go there at all, and he knew that, but he also knew that these herbs were needed by Orochimaru, and it was best not to get him angry or displeased.

He had just over a mile to go as he worked his way through the desert terrain. It was ungodly hot outside because of the climate, but he knew it would be cooler deep underground in Orochimaru's lair, so he was eager to get back inside so that he could get back to work.

Just as he cleared over a dune of sand, the ground suddenly felt different then it did before, a certain texture that made him uneasy, something about it made him feel as though it wasn't natural.

Suddenly he felt a presence directly behind him.

Kabuto jumped forward a few feet and whipped himself around to face his opponent in a traditional taijutsu stance.

When turned to face his opponent, he saw that the cloaked man was just inches from him before he had jumped away.

"You!" exclaimed Kabuto.

The man nodded.

"What are you doing here? And why did you even leave in the first place?" asked Kabuto quickly.

The man seemed put off by the second part of the question and hesitated before speaking.

"I sensed you in the fire country, so I decided to drop by and say hello." said the man.

"Knowing you, that's a load of bull." said Kabuto with a smirk.

"You're right, it is." said the man simply.

"You didn't answer my other question, why did you leave?" asked Kabuto.

Them an visibly tensed before responding.

"The village's interests were not the same as mine, in fact, they seemed to be the exact opposite. Plus I hated it there. I wanted to leave it behind in favor of a friendlier environment. Especially after I learned what Orochimaru wanted to do with the village" said the man.

"I see... What village are you with now?" asked Kabuto casually.

The man pulled his sleeve up to show that he had a Konoha Hitai-aite.

"Huh. Didn't see that coming." said Kabuto.

Kabuto's eyes narrowed when he saw something dripping down the man's arms onto his hands.

It was water.

Kabuto looked at the man questionably, and in return, he pulled up one of his cloak's sleeves all of the way to show ice blocks that were attached to his arms.

Kabuto guessed that they were probably attached to his back and legs as well.

"Heh, still can't stand the heat huh?" asked Kabuto.

The man smirked and dropped his sleeve back into place.

"Never could." said the man.

"..."

"Well, this has been a blast, but I have a friend to go see." said the man as he disappeared into the ground.

"Until next time, watch the sweets... or they'll get to you." said the voice of the man, which seemed to come from everywhere at once.

(End Flashback)

"Heh, I wonder what he meant by that... watch the sweets..." said Kabuto as he continued down the corridor towards a room where Orochimaru was surely awaiting his arrival. Of course, Orochimaru had been acting strangely lately. Ever since that shock wave produced by Naruto when Orochimaru tried to take Kyuubi's power, he had been acting very different then before. He seemed more softened more...emotional. A trait not usually seen in the Snake Sannin. Kabuto shrugged, whatever it was, it wasn't really Kabuto's business to be concerned with.

* * *

Back in Konoha, Hinata hurried back to her home, she hadn't been there for days, and she kind of felt home sick. She hadn't seen Hanabi or any of her family members since she left, and she wanted to see how they were doing. She knew nothing much could have happened in just a few days, but you never know, things do happen unexpectedly...

(Crack!)

"Ow-ow-owwie..." muttered Hinata as she rubbed her head.

Now she was beginning to have a headache.

She used chakra to sooth the nerve endings in her temples as she stood up to face whoever she had run into.

"G-gomen." said Hinata simply. Normally she was very polite and courteous, but she really was in a hurry, she was already behind schedule by 4 minutes.

"No problem at all." said a raspy voice.

The voice seemed rasp and almost hoarse, but it was very calm and pre-determined, and it seemed familiar.

She looked up to see Gaara of the sand standing before her in his normal brown garbs.

"G-Gaara! It's nice to see you again." said Hinata politely.

"Indeed. I have business to attend to, so you will have to excuse me." said Gaara.

"Same here, nice seeing you!" said Hinata as she went on her way.

_'What business does Gaara have here?'_ thought Hinata.

She didn't delve into it too much; she was too preoccupied at meeting Naruto.

She arrived at the Hyuuga gates, and with a nod, the guards opened the gates for her, and she walked on through.

She entered into her home, and looked around for signs that someone had been there. There were a set of shoes paired next to where she usually put hers before she entered the home. They didn't look like Naruto's because they were wooden, and black colored instead of the blue he normally wore...

She walked into the main room, and to her surprise met a very tense scene.

Neji was standing at the other side of the dining room table, looking very angry or distraught, and on the other side was Daishi Hyuuga, Tsume Inuzuka, and to her surprise, the Daimyo of the Fire.

Neji took one quick look over at Hinata and gave her a look that said: "Why are you here?! Why now?!"

"As I said before, Hiashi is not here, and he won't be for another week, so any proposals you have to make don't matter until he is here, otherwise you might as well leave." said

Neji as he stubbornly closed his eyes and folded his arms.

The Daimyo left in a huff as he went back to the door and put on his shoes, slamming the door on his way out.

Tsume nodded and left politely, while giving Hinata a smile and a wink that she did not understand.

And finally, Daishi turned and left, but not before looking Hinata up and down, then winking at her.

Hinata shivered out of disgust, she hated Daishi, he was the son of one of the Hyuuga elders and he was never nice to any of the Lower Branch Hyuugas, he would sometimes be caught abusing the caged bird seal just to torture them for fun. She had to get rid of that seal...

Daishi finally left, and Hinata looked at Neji questionably.

Neji opened his eyes and sighed at Hinata.

"It is nothing to concern yourself with at the moment, so please, go about doing whatever it was you were about to do." said Neji as he abruptly left out of another door.

Neji reminded Hinata of Naruto. Where was he?!

She looked around for a moment before realizing that she had told him to meet her in her room.

She ran down the hall, and stopped in front of her door. Before she opened it, she stopped and listened. She could hear voices from the other side, and she was made very uneasy about one of the voices that she recognized.

She tightened her eyes and opened the door to see Hanabi and Naruto sitting on her bed.

They both turned to see Hinata.

Naruto smiled, but Hanabi smirked.

Hinata didn't like that smirk, it was full of bad intent, Hinata could tell, and she didn't like it.

"So Hinata, this is Naruto..." said Hanabi with her now ever-present smirk.

Hinata didn't like where this was going.

"I found him in your room..." said Hanabi as she raised her eyebrows.

Hinata gulped.

She had blackmail material, or even worse, she now had information to use against her that she could tell their father in order to remove her heiress title.

"And I started talking to him. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone you were here, father would probably kill you." said Hanabi with an actual smile directed at Naruto.

"And I like you, so I wouldn't want that..." said Hanabi with a look at Naruto that made Hinata very angry.

It was a purposely sexy and attractive smile, one that would usually taunt a man to drool at the woman with the smile.

To Hinata's happiness, Naruto did not react to the smile in any way, but instead, had his attention on Hinata.

Hanabi dropped her smile with a frown, and hopped off of the bed.

"I'll leave you two alone..." said Hanabi as she tried her best to sexily walk out.

Before she left, Hanabi flashed Hinata a mean look before finally leaving, although Naruto didn't notice.

After Hinata was sure she had left she turned to Naruto to ask him what happened, but found that she couldn't talk.

She had imagined this moment for years, and now here he was, casually sitting on her bed, in her room.

She blushed and stared at the floor, twiddling her fingers.

Hinata was too slow to get a conversation started, but Naruto was always quick to the punch.

"Hinata, I was lucky that Neji was here, he quickly herded me into your room before those guests could see me, but when I turned around and saw your younger sister, I was going to freak out and knock her out, but she sat me down and talked to me." said Naruto.

Now Hinata was nervous.

She knew that Hanabi had figured out that she had feelings for Naruto, and she wouldn't doubt that her sister would try to use that info to make her miserable in any way possible.

"Ab-about w-what?" asked Hinata nervously.

"Well, she immediately guessed who I was, and began to ask me about my background and aspirations." said Naruto with a thoughtful look.

Hinata almost gasped, those were the two things that a father would traditionally ask a suitor before they married their daughter. Hanabi probably wanted to know those to see if Naruto would be someone Hiashi would hate to see with his daughter. After doing that, she would probably try to secretly tell Hiashi in a way that it couldn't be traced back to her. Hinata would have to keep an eye on her now more then ever.

"I told her I didn't know of my heritage, and I told her that I wanted to be Hokage as an aspiration." said Naruto.

"After that, Hanabi began to try to pry into my private life, which made me uncomfortable. She asked me if I had a significant other or if I was secretly pursuing someone whom I would want to be my significant other." said Naruto.

Hinata held her breathe.

"I trusted her since she was your sister after all, so I told her that the latter was true, I am secretly pursuing someone..." said Naruto.

Naruto didn't say anything other than that, and seemed to be waiting for Hinata to say something.

Hinata didn't notice, she was too busy thinking.

_'He is pursuing someone?! Who?! Sakura? Ino? Hanabi?!'_ thought Hinata exasperatedly.

Now she was just being paranoid, sure her sister was young, but she was just at that age...

_'What about what Shino said about Naruto's perfect match!? He never said who it was! It could be the same woman that Naruto is after!'_ thought Hinata stressfully.

Hinata was about to rip her hair out of stress, but Naruto interrupted.

"Hinata, you said before that you had a way for me to stay here, how is that going to work?" asked Naruto curiously.

That brought Hinata out of her thinking, but she was still paranoid.

"W-well, y-you could stay in m-my room, or H-Hanabi's i-if you would p-prefer..." said Hinata sadly.

"I would rather stay in your room, I feel much more comfortable with you than with anyone else." said Naruto.

Naruto didn't even think it when he said it, but he knew it was true, he felt much more comfortable with Hinata than with anyone else. This realization hit Naruto hard.

_'I do feel very comfortable with Hinata, she is so nice, cute, smart...' _thought Naruto as he looked over at Hinata who was blushing incredibly and was locking her eyes to the floor.

_'And beautiful...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto couldn't deny it anymore, after he had realized how beautiful she was, he couldn't help but think of her as eye candy. But she was so much more to him... But he just didn't know what she was to him, and that was the problem, but he was always to busy to ask anyone that would know what these feelings were, or what they meant.

Hinata was having her own thinking session again, but now it was less paranoid.

_'Naruto is more comfortable with me then with anyone else?!'_ thought Hinata wildly.

She would have squealed in joy, but it would probably be weird and questionable to come out of nowhere.

"Um, so does anyone ever abruptly come into a room in the Hyuuga Estate?" asked Naruto.

Hinata blushed and continued to look down.

"N-no, It would be considered r-rude and a sign of a l-lack of honor or t-trust for that person." said Hinata.

Suddenly Neji burst into the room.

"Is everything alright here?" asked Neji as he eyed Naruto suspiciously.

_'In my hurry to hide Naruto, I shoved him into a room to be alone with Hinata...'_ thought Neji as he kept his eyes on Naruto.

Naruto and Hinata sweat dropped.

"Y-yes, everything is fine here, by the w-way Neji, N-Naruto will be hiding out h-here for a f-few days..." whispered Hinata timidly.

Neji's eyes widened.

Neji was used to Hinata's quiet talk so he heard every word. He was surprised that Hinata would be putting Naruto in the same house as the one that was hunting him, and at the same time he was mortified because he would have to constantly keep an eye on Naruto in case he suddenly became... inappropriate.

"Hinata, don't you think that to be... risky? I mean, I have no problem with Naruto being here, and I will try as hard as I can to keep him hidden from certain individuals, but he is living amongst the Hyuugas. If Hiashi comes home and uses the Byakugan to check on you even once, you will be caught." pointed out Neji.

Naruto smiled.

"Yes, but the Byakugan can't see through illusions like the Sharingan can..." said Naruto.

Naruto's form suddenly warped into what convincingly looked like a pair of Hinata's pants lying on the floor.

Neji was shocked at first at his choice of henge, but he turned on his Byakugan to check it out.

"Amazing. Normally the Byakugan can see through henge, but this is different somehow... I can't even see his chakra anymore." said Neji.

Naruto suddenly warped back into himself.

"Well, if Hiashi thinks he sees something, and he comes running in to not find anything, he will simply think that he is going crazy." said Naruto with a smile.

Naruto had a point, his powers weren't normal, and his uncle wouldn't expect an intruder to turn into a bed sheet, or a stuffed teddy bear.

"Alright, I guess this is alright then, I will have to see you later." said Neji.

Neji walked out the door and left them alone in Hinata's room.

Naruto was about to speak, but then suddenly Neji opened the door again, and peered in quickly.

"Thought I forgot something..." muttered Neji as he left again.

They waited for a few seconds before the door opened again, and Neji peered through a small crack in the door.

"Neji please, t-trust me." said Hinata firmly.

Neji was caught off guard by her firmness, and he reluctantly closed the door.

Just in case, the two waited for at least a minute before speaking again.

"What was his problem?" asked Naruto.

"He's just a b-bit over-protective." said Hinata, not going any further than that.

Naruto nodded.

"So, Hinata, I have been thinking..." began Naruto.

Hinata politely held up her hand for him to stop.

"Neji, I know you can hear us, turn off your Byakugan please." said Hinata firmly.

Muttering could be heard from the hall and footsteps were heard as they grew fainter until they couldn't hear them anymore.

"...As I was saying, I have been thinking for a while now..." began Naruto.

Naruto suddenly turned around, and slammed the window next to Hinata's bed shut.

Suddenly Neji appeared next to the window as his henge wore off from the mental break of concentration. Apparently Naruto had slammed his fingers in the window.

Having been caught, Neji jumped over the Hyuuga gates and out of sight.

"..."

"Okay then, now if there aren't anymore interruptions..." began Naruto for the third time.

He turned back to Hinata to see he had her full attention. It was heartwarming. She had her eyes wide open as though everything he was about to say would be the most important thing that she had ever heard.

Naruto felt his cheeks flush to match hers.

Suddenly he lost his confidence, and felt himself questioning his actions.

"Hinata, I was wondering... Could I sleep in your bed?" asked Naruto.

Hinata blushed but then took a moment to let it leave her before she talked again.

"Y-yes, that would be fine, I will sleep on the floor." said Hinata.

Naruto sighed.

"No, I mean... Will you sleep, with me?" asked Naruto as he turned his line of sight towards her dresser. It was hard to ask that and look at her at the same time.

If Hinata wasn't blushing before, she was now.

"W-w-w-w-wha-what?" stuttered Hinata nervously as though she didn't believe what she had heard.

Naruto immediately saw this as a negative reaction.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so personal so quickly, you perfectly have the right to deny my request, but I just wanted to let you know, I feel more comfortable with you than with anyone else. And every time I slept with you, I slept the best I have ever slept in my entire life, because I was comfortable... with you." said Naruto quickly.

Hinata turned a stark red and her eyes began to glaze over.

Naruto saw this and dashed to her side.

She fainted into his arms, and Naruto gently put her down.

Suddenly the door burst open, and Neji stood in the doorway with his hand rudely pointed at Naruto.

"Aha!" exclaimed Neji.

"I was talking to her and she fainted, so I caught her and made sure she didn't get hurt on the way down." said Naruto.

Neji face went from "Aha!" to "Oh."

Neji left with an almost disappointed face.

Naruto hefted Hinata bridal style onto her bed.

When he looked at her peaceful, blushing, and sleeping form he felt a sudden impulse, and it was very strong, so strong that he couldn't help but act on it.

But before he did, he threw a kunai at the ceiling and the blunt end looked like it was going to hit the ceiling. Before it did, there was the noise of a dull thud. Suddenly Neji appeared, sprawled out on the ceiling as his henge dissipated.

"OUT!" shouted Naruto.

Neji grumbled, and finally left.

"Go to Ten Ten or something, it is getting late, so she should be in bed!" shouted Naruto as he turned back to Hinata.

He swore he could feel Neji blushing through the wall.

He checked one more time to see if Neji had indeed left. He had, he couldn't sense him for quite a ways.

Naruto smiled in satisfaction, and looked back to Hinata.

He blushed. She was so beautiful, just like in the forest. So peaceful, so cute, so lovely. He couldn't take it anymore.

He lifted Hinata's right arm, and laid himself on it. Then he turned her sideways, and hugged her as they both laid on their sides.

To his surprise, in her unconsciousness, Hinata wrapped her arms around him in return and blushed deeper.

"Naruto..." whispered Hinata.

It felt fantastic to be in her embrace. This was the best feeling he had ever felt, and he couldn't get enough of it, it was so addicting.

Naruto nuzzled himself closer to find that the feeling intensified. He felt himself getting so good and comfortable that he actually drifted off into sleep in the arms of someone that deeply and emotionally confused him.

* * *

Naruto awoke with a start; he turned his head to see that it was already early morning.

He went to get up, and felt Hinata's arms still around him.

He blushed as the feeling came back to him just as strong as before.

He smiled, unwrapped himself from her and put her onto her back.

He put her hands comfortable on her stomach, and kissed her on the forehead.

"I don't exactly understand why I did that, or what this feeling is..." began Naruto as he looked out to see that the sun had risen not too long ago.

"But the day is still young..." said Naruto as he began to decide what he should transform into.

"Hinata and Neji are now out of the question..." began Naruto.

He smirked as he took a form that satisfied him.

_'This should work...'_ thought Naruto.

He shunshined from the Hyuuga estate, and landed in the street, not getting any alarming reactions.

"Alright, it looks like this form will work." said Naruto.

_'Now, I know exactly who to ask what this feeling is... he may be a pervert, but he has been around the block a few times...'_ reasoned Naruto as he headed for the Hokage tower.

Walking with a cane was weird, but he got used to it. The cane was pure black with a diamond knob on the top to grip. His fire-red hair bristling in the wind, he wasn't used to having such long hair, but his time being henged as Hinata kind of helped. His dark red cloak seemed to flow with his steps as he used his cane to walk as though he were important. It seemed to be the only way to walk with a cane. It was either walk importantly, or walk like he was an old person, so he preferred the first option.

He entered the town square outside of the Hokage Tower, suddenly gaining the stares of most of the people. Being indulged with his self appearance before, he didn't notice that as he went along, more and more people began to stare at his lavish and important appearance.

He walked up to Jiraiya's tent and tapped on the tent's flap.

This action earned a few grumbles and shifting sounds from inside.

The tent zipped open to show a very surprised Jiraiya. Jiraiya suddenly jumped from the tent, punching Naruto very hard in the chest.

Naruto was expecting himself to go flying back from a blow that strong, but he barely even moved an inch.

Naruto smiled in spite of himself, and gently grasped Jiraiya's hand, lowering it to his side.

"Jiraiya, it's me." said Naruto with a smile.

He wondered if he would get it since he wasn't talking with his normal voice, but Jiraiya did seem to know he was Naruto when he was henged as Hinata, so he figured he would figure out it was him in the same manner.

Jiraiya blinked for a second, and then smiled.

"You son of a gun... I never thought you would have the gall to take on the Kyuubi's human form..." said Jiraiya with a smirk.

"Yeah well..." said Naruto sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Listen, we need to talk, its very important." said Naruto.

Jiraiya got serious and nodded.

"Alright, Follow me." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya led him to the top of the Hokage monument, which didn't surprise Naruto in the least, up here they were alone, and the conversation would remain private.

"Okay kid, what is this all about?" asked Jiraiya.

"Okay, I figured I would ask you, since you have experience in this. You know a lot about emotions right?" asked Naruto.

"Yeeeeeah..." said Jiraiya with a confused face.

Jiraiya didn't know where Naruto was going with this, so he tried to remain as calm and stoic as possible.

"Okay, I've felt an emotion I don't quite understand..." said Naruto bashfully as he rubbed the back of his head with his right hand, and shoved his left in his pocket in embarrassment.

"Really, that's interesting, but not unusual, some people can go an entire lifetime not experiencing a certain emotion." said Jiraiya knowingly.

"Explain to me what this emotion exactly feels like, and you have to tell me exactly when you experience it, otherwise, I won't be able to give you a good description." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya folded his arms and waited for Naruto to start speaking, but it didn't look like he was going to.

"(Sigh) Before you say anything, you have to tell me the truth; otherwise you are only hurting yourself by skewing my answer. And besides, I swear on all of the trust we have for each other that I will not tell anyone of what is about to be said here." said Jiraiya firmly.

Naruto believed him, and he felt better now, but it would still be embarrassing to say to him.

"Naruto." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.

"You are like a son to me; both I and Iruka have told you this before. Now, this will be a father-to-son talk. I will not laugh at anything you say, no matter how embarrassing you think it is." said Jiraiya as he removed his hand.

"Phew... Okay... It's... about this girl..." said Naruto with a blush.

Jiraiya didn't change the look on his face what-so-ever; he was really into the father-son moment.

_'A GIRL!!! YES!!!'_ thought Jiraiya as he kept his cool.

"Interesting... go on..." said Jiraiya.

Naruto nodded and gulped.

"Every time I am near this girl, I feel like... I want to protect her, to hold her, just to be near her is like a thousand cups of warm steamy ramen. It makes me feel very light, and very happy, but I don't know how to explain it." said Naruto who now looked very deep in thought.

Jiraiya had his eyes closed as though thinking something over.

"When you are near this girl... Do you experience an intense heat sometimes? Or perhaps a knot in your stomach when you feel nervous?" asked Jiraiya.

"Yes, both." said Naruto.

Naruto was beginning to feel a bit relieved, Jiraiya was narrowing it down.

"Okay, a couple more things, and don't give me any looks when I ask you this, because it is completely serious. Do you find yourself sexually attracted to this girl?" asked Jiraiya.

Naruto blushed and stared at the floor. He couldn't deny it. He nodded his head slowly.

Jiraiya smiled.

"Alright, now we are getting somewhere. Now then, when her skin touches yours, do you suddenly feel weak, or do you find it hard to think straight?" asked Jiraiya.

"Yes. Sometimes it's so bad that I have to get away from her just to recuperate, but then when I leave her, I feel her absence tugging painfully in my mind and it hurts badly right here." said Naruto as he put his hand over his heart.

_'Wow. This kid has it REALLY bad.'_ thought Jiraiya.

"Okay one final thing and this will clench it. If you were given the choice, would you sacrifice your life for hers if it meant that she would live?" asked Jiraiya.

"Without hesitation." said Naruto firmly.

Jiraiya was shocked at his firmness, but gathered his posture again, but only for a second before enveloping him in a father-son hug and spinning him around.

"Gah-ha!! I knew it! I'm so proud of you!!! Hahahaaaaa!!" exclaimed Jiraiya joyously.

"What?! What is it?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Ha. You're in love kid, it's the worst case of love sickness I have ever seen!" exclaimed Jiraiya happily as he set Naruto down.

"I'm... in love..." whispered Naruto.

"Heh, you were probably wondering whether it was just lust or love, well I can tell you without a doubt that you are madly in love with this girl." said Jiraiya happily.

"I'm in love..." said Naruto a little louder.

"I'M IN LOVE!!" shouted Naruto as he began to break down into a kind of happy sporadic laughter in spite of his happiness.

Jiraiya laughed at Naruto's joyous behavior.

After Naruto gathered himself, he still couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"He he... Alright Naruto, now then, In light of recent events, I think it's time I gave you this." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya pulled out a sealed scroll and handed it to him.

"Read it later, you will thank me." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya disappeared in a shunshin, and Naruto sat there staring at the scroll.

He was too excited about how he felt to care about some scroll just now, Hinata was still in her room, and Naruto really wanted to be with her.

Naruto also used a shunshin, and left the Hokage monument.

* * *

Naruto appeared inside of Hinata's room without making a sound.

Naruto crept over to the bed to see the Hinata was still in the position he had left her, and she looked so peaceful.

He got into bed with her again, and wrapped his arms around her like before.

He sighed contently and prepared himself to sleep the rest of the morning away, basking in her presence and warmth.

While he was sleeping with her, he wouldn't be surprised if he slept for an entire day.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

I still expect a good in-depth review from you guys, so don't get stingy.

And by the way, something to look forward to: chapter 30 has extreme FLUFFY GOODNESS.


	30. The Judicial System

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

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"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

**_Chapter 30:_**

**_The Judicial System:_**

Duking it out with Hiashi... and now the Judicial system...

* * *

Naruto felt strange in his sleep, the warm fuzzy feeling he was having before that Jiraiya described as love... was gone, and replaced with a cold uncertainty.

Naruto woke with a start. It was dark, very dark. He immediately realized that he was no longer in the Hyuuga mansion because he was laying on what felt like cold and hard cement. He remembered falling asleep with Hinata in her bed, and it was so comfortable and warm, but now, his bed was cold and unforgiving.

He stood up and felt a presence of chakra form out into several complicated arrays of symbols. He didn't see it but he felt it, and recognized what it was immediately.

"A seal triggered by movement..." whispered Naruto.

It couldn't have been a dream, he knew that everything he felt when he was with Hinata was real.

_'I must have been incapacitated while I was sleeping, and moved to this place.'_ thought Naruto.

As soon as Naruto had decided that possibility was probably the truth. He realized something.

_'What about Hinata?! If I've been incapacitated, and she was with me, what happened to her?!' _thought Naruto as he began to panic.

Naruto took breaths and calmed himself down to think properly.

"Based on the seal's activation, someone should be here soon..." whispered Naruto to himself.

Naruto activated Kyuubi's sight so that he could see in the dark.

To his left was sturdy wall made up of what looked like solid cement, and it was the same all around him. Naruto then looked directly in front of him to see rows of solid metal bars.

He realized that he was in jail.

"Must have been caught by an ANBU or a Hyuuga... So much for innocent until proven guilty..." muttered Naruto.

Naruto backed up against the cell wall and camouflaged himself with Kitsune illusions to make him look perfectly like the cell wall.

He heard light voices and footsteps.

He recognized them by their tone, depth, and pitch.

_'Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Hiashi. Tsunade and Hiashi make sense, and Jiraiya sticks near Tsunade, so I really shouldn't be surprised...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto waited for a few seconds, not moving an inch so that he couldn't be seen.

After about half a minute, Naruto saw a light bulb abruptly turn on in the hallway that connected itself to all of the jail cells.

Naruto saw nothing but white spots. He had been using Kyuubi's eyes while in night-vision, and when the light turned on, everything blinded him at once.

He closed his eyes and took a few seconds to recuperate.

He opened his eyes again, and he saw Tsunade, Hiashi and Jiraiya walk into the room and stop at his jail cell.

Hiashi was on crutches from his injuries, and he immediately reacted when he didn't see Naruto in the cell where he himself no doubt left him.

"Where is he?!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Ignoring Hiashi's question, Jiraiya stepped forward a bit and looked into the cell directly at Naruto.

"Kid, While you were sleeping, Hiashi came home, found you with Hinata, and had you thrown in jail for an act of treason against his clan." said Jiraiya.

"You were lucky you actually went to sleep and took yourself out of that illusion form, otherwise Hiashi would have recognized it and killed you." said Jiraiya.

_'I took myself out of the illusion immediately after I left Jiraiya, otherwise Hinata would been sleeping with Kyuubi's human form, and just the image of it makes me want to kill someone... but only after throwing up.'_ thought Naruto with a shudder.

Tsunade and Hiashi looked at each other, then looked back to Jiraiya.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Tsunade.

"You're mother." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya had a completely serious face.

"What?" asked Hiashi.

"Yeah. Can't you hear her? She's saying: I've raised a horrible son!" said Jiraiya in a heightened voice.

"..."

Hiashi and Tsunade just stared at him.

"Now stop with all of this foolishness and come on home you naughty naughty boy!" said Jiraiya in a heightened voice.

"..."

"Jiraiya, what the hell are you talking about?" asked Tsunade.

"Sorry, I got a little weird there..." muttered Jiraiya.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow.

"But anyway, he's there, in the cell... he's looking right at you." said Jiraiya.

Hiashi looked at him questionably.

"Right there." assured Jiraiya.

"Byakugan." said Hiashi calmly.

Hiashi used his doujutsu to peer into the cell, finding nothing but cement.

"I don't see anything." said Hiashi.

"Doesn't surprise me." said Naruto.

Hiashi jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Despite having the Byakugan, you were always blatantly oblivious to your surroundings. Such as Hinata's respect, that you did not see. And her hurt feelings, which you did not acknowledge." said Naruto smugly.

"Silence! How dare you even speak her name after you defiled her!" exclaimed Hiashi in rage.

"Defiled? I definitely wouldn't call something so pure and loving defiled... even if we did have relations... But we didn't, you have my word." said Naruto firmly.

Hiashi was about to respond when Jiraiya put his hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto never lies when he gives his word. In all of the years that I have known him, when he gives his word on something, he means it. When he makes a promise and gives his word that he will do it, he will no matter what. So if he gives his word that he is telling the truth, then that means he is telling the truth." said Jiraiya confidently.

"How can you be so certain?" asked Hiashi rudely.

"The Sannin standing before you isn't enough?" asked Jiraiya.

Jiraiya loved to make a point of his rank and experience.

Hiashi nodded, and was convinced, or at least looked it after Jiraiya mentioned his authority, but he still questionably looked into the cell, because he still saw nothing.

Suddenly Naruto appeared inches from Hiashi's face.

Hiashi fell backwards, and would have been injured further but Jiraiya caught him and heaved him back onto his crutches.

Tsunade looked at Naruto questionably, and he nodded, signifying that he would come willingly.

"Come Naruto, the court is waiting upstairs." said Tsunade sadly.

She led Naruto through a long hallway that led upstairs to an iron door.

She easily opened it into a bright room, and Naruto was temporarily blinded. When Naruto could see again, he realized that he was already in the court room.

_'Convenient...' _thought Naruto sarcastically.

Tsunade led him to the defense's side, and sat him down; afterwords, Tsunade got up on top of the Judge's seat and took her place, peering downward at everyone present.

Hiashi sat himself on the prosecuting side, and refused to even look in Naruto's direction.

Naruto turned around to see who was in the jury's box. He saw a lot of old looking people in similar looking robes giving him similar distasteful looks.

_'The elders...Oh joy...'_ thought Naruto sarcastically.

"All rise for Judge Tsunade Senju." said Jiraiya as the jury stood.

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya questionably but he ignored her.

Naruto looked farther into the jury to see that the Konoha 9 plus several Jounin were there, which made him very happy, except that Hinata was seated next to some other Hyuuga that looked as though his very presence made her feel uncomfortable. Naruto was brought out of his thoughts by the banging of a Tsunade's gravel.

"The case comes to attention… Naruto Uzumaki vs. Hiashi Hyuuga and the Konoha justice system." said Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya, what are you doing?" asked Tsunade.

"I'm the Bailiff, and I'm supposed to say that." said Jiraiya.

"Oh." said Tsunade.

"You may all be seated." said Jiraiya.

The jury sat down, and Tsunade looked questionably at Jiraiya.

"I'm supposed to say that too..." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade nodded and looked over to Hiashi with a sigh.

_'I really should have studied this court crap before I did an actual trial...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Hiashi Hyuuga, start by taking stand on the happenings which led to the trying of Naruto Uzumaki." said Tsunade.

"Where do I begin?" asked Hiashi.

"Begin at the first offense." said Tsunade.

"I was coming home from a long day of working on the forms necessary to be filed for the Hyuuga to exist, and as I arrived at my home, I was immediately reminded of an important manner. The entire Hyuuga council was at my door, demanding that we all see the Hokage about... well..." said Hiashi as he hesitated to speak.

Tsunade looked at Hiashi questionably, but in return, he quickly jerked his head in Hinata's direction.

Tsunade nodded.

"I get it, and it doesn't matter, so please continue." said Tsunade.

The jurors looked at each other questionably, but shrugged it off because Tsunade said it wasn't important, and she was the Hokage after all, so if not her, who should they believe?

Hiashi continued his version of the story.

"Well, during that meeting, my daughter's presence at the Konoha hospital was brought to my attention, and I immediately rushed there, worried for her safety. When I arrived, I found Hinata on top of that boy. She was apparently under _his_ control." said Hiashi, angrily putting emphasis on the word "his" to let everyone know who he was talking about.

Naruto still didn't say a word, and the jury took note of this. Naruto's friends looked at each other, then looked at Hinata, wondering why neither of them said anything. Was it true? Did Naruto take control of Hinata?

They all looked at the young Hyuuga girl questionably, but she didn't react, she just sat there next to Daishi Hyuuga in a stiff pose.

Next to Hinata was Daishi Hyuuga. Nobody questioned his presence next to Hinata since he was a Hyuuga, but they did wonder why he had his hand on her back.

_'Ha! She can't do anything unless I let her! This jutsu father taught me was worth learning!'_ thought Daishi devilishly.

In reality, Hinata couldn't move nor talk, she was underneath Daishi's control, he was using his chakra flow through her tenketsu to prevent her from speaking or moving. Of course to do this Daishi had to use a lot of chakra, and he also had to have good chakra control. He couldn't do the jutsu as well as his father, but he knew it well enough to use it for the Hyuuga's advantage.

_'Kimottama Seichuu no jutsu'_(Nerve control Technique) thought Daishi.

Daishi used his chakra to flow directly into Hinata's Spinal column where a large amount of nerve endings were gathered. He filtered his lightning elemental chakra through the nerve endings in her spine to get to the rest of the nerve endings in her body, giving him total control of all of her movements.

_'If I can keep her from talking this entire trial, then maybe the Kyuubi brat will finally be exterminated.'_ thought Daishi with an unpleasant smile.

Hinata sat on her seat, desperately trying to speak or react, but couldn't. So she just sat there, and mentally cried.

_'Naruto is innocent! He didn't do anything wrong! It was self-defense against my father! Father attacked first! And kept attacking! It's not his fault! He is innocent!'_ thought Hinata desperately.

While all of this was happening, the trial continued, oblivious to Hinata's predicament. Even Hiashi had no idea what kind of situation was occurring to her daughter as he continued his testimony.

"After the visit, I came back the next day to the hospital to find that the boy was bedded with my daughter." said Hiashi with distaste in his voice.

The jury gasped, and looked at Hinata, getting no reaction from her just as before. They turned to Naruto to see that he had not reacted either, but instead was calmly sitting there as though this didn't bug him in the least.

_'No! Naruto couldn't have... He wouldn't have...'_ thought Sakura as she looked at the back of Naruto's head.

She was angry and felt betrayed in a way. She thought she could trust Naruto, and then he goes and takes advantage of Hinata like that?

The other Konoha 9 members along with the Jounin captains were having similar thoughts, except Kakashi who was the only Jounin-captain-in-relation-to-Naruto not present in the jury's stands.

_'I have to be patient, just wait until it is your turn, then tell everyone the truth.'_ thought Naruto confidently.

"After being caught, Uzumaki took my daughter, and ran away with her, and even though I tried very hard, I couldn't find her. I issued a wanted poster for the capture of Naruto Uzumaki, and waited as I continued to carry out the duties of being the Hyuuga Lord. Eventually in a few days, I found them myself, and gave chase. I finally forced Naruto into a fight. And I failed to get my daughter whom he still held captive." finished Hiashi.

"No way!" shouted Sakura.

"Boo!" shouted Ino.

"You lying sadistic son of a..." shouted Kiba before he was pulled out of the stands by two ANBU guards.

As he was getting pulled near the exit, Kiba struggled to get free.

"LIES! SLANDER! AH! Your hands are cold..." said Kiba as he was ushered out of the courtroom.

Naruto didn't say anything; he still knew better then to speak out of turn in court.

"I tried to get Hinata from him, but he fought me, and regrettably beat me with a few dastardly tricks." said Hiashi.

"Oh that is bullsh-!..." shouted Lee from the stands before Gai cupped his hand over his mouth and held him back.

Naruto felt like slugging Hiashi, but he remained calm, and knew that he had to wait his turn.

Tsunade looked surprised that Naruto had not said anything abruptly yet, and she knew she couldn't take his side. She couldn't favor either side without evidence to favor that decision. She gritted her teeth as she let Hiashi continue.

"After the battle, I found myself in the Konoha hospital with the injuries I have now." finished Hiashi.

"Alright, Naruto Uzumaki, it is your turn to give your interpretation of those events." said Tsunade.

Before Naruto said anything in court, he knew that he should think hard about it, so he took some time aside to think of the possible repercussions, and closed his eyes to think.

_'Lets see now, If I tell the truth, Hinata will get into the same trouble I am in... Sure, she won't be neutered like I probably will, but she doesn't deserve to be punished. If I tell the truth and say that Hinata wasn't really being held captive, that would mean that Hinata would be charged with assisting a wanted nin, and further penalties would be charged against her. If I tell the truth again and say that Hinata helped me fight Hiashi, she will be punished even further... She might even receive the death penalty just like me. There's no way around it... I have to lie, and Hiashi probably knows that.'_ thought Naruto as he gritted his teeth.

"Naruto. Give your version of the story." said Tsunade.

Naruto sighed. He knew that attacking and nearly killing a person as highly ranked as Hiashi could land him the death penalty, but there was no way he would ever allow that to happen to Hinata, he wouldn't allow anything to happen her... He loved her, and now that he realized it, it was too late to express his feelings, he would probably be dead before he could. But still, if giving up his life was the price to pay for Hinata, he would pay it.

Naruto opened his eyes and looked up at Tsunade.

He had to do it, there was no way around it, he had to lie.

"I agree with everything that Hiashi said, it is all true." said Naruto sadly.

This received several gasps from the crowd, and Tsunade looked at Naruto in disbelief.

"Naruto Uzumaki, is what you say the truth?" asked Tsunade incredulously, but with authority ever-present in her voice.

It was hard enough for Naruto to lie once, he couldn't do it again.

"No." said Naruto.

Tsunade waited for him to elaborate in slight relief.

"My fighting was not dastardly, he was the one who set me on fire then blew me up using Asuma's Technique..." said Naruto truthfully.

The crowd gasped and Kurenai held Asuma back.

"You jutsu stealing bastard!" shouted Asuma as he flailed around to try and release himself from Kurenai's grasp.

There was mass commotion in the court, Naruto could hear several voices stand out from the other shouts and accusations.

"Hiashi set him on fire?! How cruel!"

"Yes, but he did kidnap the Hyuuga princess!"

"He is guilty of the charges as far as I can see!"

"Throw the fox to the gallows!"

"ORDER IN THE COURT!!!" shouted Tsunade as she slammed her gravel down, silencing the court swiftly.

Tsunade looked wildly among the jury, daring any of them to say another word, and then she looked to Naruto with a sorrowful and pitying face.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you have admitted to the crimes of kidnapping, attacking an officer of higher rank, committing treason against the Hyuuga clan, and attempted murder." said Tsunade gravely.

The crowd was in an uproar until Tsunade gave them one look, then they all quickly became quiet.

"Do you understand these charges held against you in the court of law?" asked Tsunade sadly.

"Yes." said Naruto, lowering his head and staring at his feet.

"Do you also understand that for two of these charges, the sentence is death?" asked Tsunade.

The crowd gasped, and Hinata struggled to move, but she still couldn't budge an inch, or say a thing.

Naruto didn't notice her struggle, he was still too determined to go through with his plan.

"Yes." said Naruto sadly in defeat.

Tsunade waited a moment to take in what just happened, then stood up from her seat.

"Alright, the jury will now decide the verdict." said Tsunade.

Hiashi got up onto his crutches, and left through a door on the left-hand side of the court room marked: "Waiting room" while everyone else awaited Tsunade's approval for them to stand up.

Approval was given, the jury stood up, all of them looking at Naruto, some meanly, and some with compassion. Hinata's look hurt him the most, her look was pained, and was giving him a look that said: "Why?! Naruto Why?!"

Before Hinata could be directed to the jury's room on the right-hand side of the court room just like everyone else, she was pushed off to the side, and forcefully sat down by the Hyuuga that was with her.

Anger surged through Naruto, but if he acted on it, it would only make things worse.

Tsunade also left into the Jury's room, leaving Naruto, Hinata, and Daishi alone in the court room.

"Heh, glad you wizened up and admitted to it! If I hadn't of kept Hinata quiet with this jutsu, she probably would have spoken up and ruined the whole thing." said Daishi with a smirk.

Naruto eyes widened as more anger flowed through him.

Hinata was giving him a desperate look. One that showed sadness that she couldn't help, and sorrow for what was going to happen to him.

Naruto said nothing.

"It's a good thing that you're going to be locked up or killed, cause then I'll have Hinata all to myself." said Daishi greedily as he got inappropriately closer to Hinata.

She tried to get away, but still couldn't because of the jutsu Daishi still had her secretly bound in.

He didn't touch her anywhere inappropriate, but he came close, and Naruto couldn't take it anymore.

Naruto's eyes turned red and slitted. He felt Kyuubi's yin chakra flowing through him.

He was so enraged at the thought of someone touching Hinata in that way, that he felt he would lose control.

Naruto's nails grew long and pointed, and he aggressively jabbed them into his thigh.

Hinata gasped and Daishi looked surprised as blood flowed from his fresh wound.

While Naruto's nails were deep in his flesh, he moved them around to create a mass amount of pain to distract him so he wouldn't tear Daishi's head off.

Naruto stood up, and took out his claws from his flesh, the wound instantly healed to Daishi's disbelieve. Naruto walked up the isle to Daishi and Hinata. As Naruto got within 5 feet of Daishi, and the Hyuuga boy was beginning to lose his cool, he felt fear. Naruto came up to him and got right in his face.

**_"Don't you ever touch her, ever again! Or I will see to it that you get what's coming to you."_** said Naruto with Kyuubi's deep and forceful voice.

Daishi looked shocked and didn't move as Naruto returned to his seat. Daishi was so distraught he almost dropped his jutsu, but he didn't. He sat back down, and fearfully continued to watch Naruto.

Meanwhile, Naruto was trying to take back control of his emotions. And he was slowly succeeding.

_'Naruto...'_ thought Hinata sadly.

_'I hope the trial goes in his favor... but he already admitted to everything! Why Naruto?! Why?!'_ thought Hinata as she silently cried.

* * *

In the Jury's room, everyone was deciding whether or not to charge Naruto with the crimes.

"Why the hell not?! He admitted it didn't he?!" exclaimed one of the Hyuuga elders.

"Yes, surely that is enough to convict the boy." said another.

"It would be if Naruto wasn't lying." interrupted Kakashi as he dropped from the ceiling, and landed on the large round table that everyone stood around.

Everyone turned to look at him, and he smirked.

"I had set up Naruto's seat with a complex set of seals that... well... Long story short, whatever Naruto was thinking during the trial, is on this paper." said Kakashi.

He threw the paper onto the table and everyone gaped at it.

'This will be a whole new evolution in justice technology against criminals everywhere...' thought Jiraiya with an impressed smirk at Kakashi's creativity.

Kiba was the first to pick it up, and read one of the thoughts aloud.

"The court room is angry at me, I didn't do anything! Does Hiashi know that his boxers are showing? Didn't peg him to be a pink heart kind of guy..." read Kiba as he ended up smirking and holding in laughter near the end.

One if the elders quickly grabbed the papers from Kiba.

"Read the parts after the trial started you idiot!" exclaimed the Elder.

"And how do you know he was lying?" asked one of the other elders skeptically.

Kakashi swiftly moved right next to the elders face.

"Are you questioning my abilities as a Shinobi?" asked Kakashi with a calm yet suggestively potentially violent voice.

"N-no!" exclaimed the elder quickly with a scared tone.

"Oh, okay then." said Kakashi happily as he backed off.

The elder sighed in relief as everyone picked up the papers.

Kakashi passed around the copies he made for everyone to see.

After a few minutes of reviewing Naruto's thoughts, everyone looked up from the papers.

"I do not have a fat butt..." muttered Neji with an offended tone as he pouted with his arms crossed.

"Of course you don't sweety..." said Ten Ten sarcastically as she patted his shoulder.

_'Well, if it isn't the wind beneath my wings...'_ thought Neji sarcastically.

Everyone ignored what they said, and began the examination of the evidence in front of them.

"So he WAS lying, and he was just doing it to protect Hinata..." said Kiba.

"Does it surprise you, knowing Naruto?" asked Lee.

"Nope. It doesn't surprise me at all." agreed Shikamaru.

"Yeah, Naruto was just defending Hinata, he didn't just viciously attack Hiashi!" said Chouji.

"And he didn't kidnap her either, she came of her own free will." pointed out Ino.

"Right! So that brings up charges of assisting a missing nin against Ms. Hinata Hyuuga..." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade and Jiraiya looked around the table, observing everyone's faces.

All of their faces showed sadness.

Everyone who knew Hinata, knew that she was a good girl that was kind to others at all times. Nobody wanted her to receive punishment.

Tsunade smirked.

"Those in favor of dropping the charges against Ms. Hyuuga?" asked Tsunade immediately.

They all looked at each other for a second in surprise before they all quickly agreed.

"I didn't know you could do that..." muttered Jiraiya so that only Tsunade could hear him.

"I can't! Now shut up!" replied Tsunade just as quietly.

"Well. Based on Naruto's thoughts, He didn't commit attempted murder, assaulting a higher-ranked ninja, or kidnapping." said Tsunade.

"So really, the only charge left against Naruto is treason against the Hyuuga clan..." said Sakura.

"And what does that entail?" asked Shino curiously.

One of the Hyuuga elders pulled out a scroll.

"Three counts of inappropriateness with the clan's heiress before marriage, one count of bedding before marriage, and one count of statuary rape." said the elder.

There was an immediate uproar from the Jounin captains and the Konoha 9 not including Hinata who wasn't present.

"There is no way Naruto would do that!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Naruto respects women." affirmed Shino.

"He would rather die first." insisted Shikamaru.

"Such actions are vile and disgusting to him, he would never commit rape..." agreed Sasuke.

"But of the other charges of inappropriateness and bedding?" asked the elder with the scroll.

They all knew Naruto had a weakness in the sexual temptation department, and they didn't doubt Naruto would do that WITH Hinata's permission.

"Well, there may be a strong possibility that she didn't sleep with him" said Sai.

"How is that?" asked Ten Ten.

"Well, Hinata could be a Lesbian..." said Sai.

(Utter Silence)

"That's just disturbing..." said Neji.

"Only because you're her family, I mean really, for all I know, she is a carpet muncher and therefore wouldn't sleep with Naruto..." said Sai.

"..."

"You're right Neji that is very disturbing." said Lee.

"Well, then I say we all just go out there, and ask Hinata, and that will solve everything." said Tsunade as she walked to the door.

"Ask her if she is a lesbian? That's a bit straightforward don't you think?" asked Shino with one eyebrow raised.

"... No, I want to ask Hinata if she and Naruto have had relations, if they haven't, then all charges will be dropped, but if she says he did, then his punishment will be decided by the Hyuuga clan." said Tsunade.

"Oh." said Shino.

"Wouldn't it just be quicker to ask her sexual preference?" asked Sai again.

Everyone shivered a bit, mostly Kiba, Neji, and Lee. And Tsunade gave him a glare.

Sai wasn't very good at understanding emotions yet, but he knew that a glare meant to shut up most of the time.

The Hyuuga Elders weren't happy with this turnout at all. All serious charges had been dropped, the trial wasn't going as planned at all. But they could still get him if Hinata said that they had relations. That would be bad because she would be tainted, and would no longer be a proper heiress to the clan, but they still hoped to get rid of the Kyuubi brat as well. It was a lose-lose situation for them, it had been from the very starting if Hinata actually did anything with him.

Tsunade was worried as she opened the door to let everyone out into the court room before her.

_'I hoped that they hadn't given into temptations, I know that Hinata wants him bad... and Naruto... I don't know where he stands on that matter, but I hope he didn't do what I think he might have done.' _thought Tsunade nervously as she finished herding everyone into the court room, and she entered last, stopping before shutting the door behind her.

_'If he did that to her, I'd throttle him myself!'_ thought Tsunade as she shut the door.

* * *

Tsunade walked back into the court room to find Naruto still in his seat, and Hinata sitting with some Hyuuga boy she didn't recognize. And that Hyuuga boy had his arm behind her back while he sat close to her.

That didn't sit well with her at all.

_'Hinata is already after another? She gave up on Naruto?'_ thought Tsunade with a frown.

This made her sad, but never the less, the trial had to continue.

Everyone was seated and Tsunade continued the trial only after Hiashi entered again and took his seat, which took a while on account of his crutches.

"The jury has yet to make a final decision, but before they do, Ms. Hinata Hyuuga needs to take the stand." said Tsunade calmly.

Hiashi, Naruto, and Daishi gasped. (Hinata still can't move.)

Daishi looked back at the Hyuuga elders, they nodded, and Daishi dropped the jutsu, letting her go.

She got up and quickly walked past Naruto up into the witness stand to Tsunade's left, and took a seat.

She swore to tell the truth over the book of Konoha law, and then she took her seat.

"Actually Hinata, we only have one short question to ask you, then we will have decided the verdict." said Tsunade.

Hinata got wide-eyed and nodded.

_'No! They can't ask her what happened, she will be in just as much trouble as me!'_ thought Naruto.

"Why do you have to ask her a question?! I admitted to the charges! Arrest me!" exclaimed Naruto desperately.

Hinata looked at Naruto in wide-eyed shock.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata quietly in surprise.

The Hyuuga elders nodded, and Naruto's friends gave him looks of trust and admiration that he really didn't understand at the time.

"Yes! Why not indeed?! Surely Naruto admitting to the crimes is enough to convict him!" exclaimed Hiashi.

"Silence! Both of you! Do not speak out of turn!" shouted Tsunade, silencing them both.

"Now, answer this question: Did you, or did you not have sexual or intimate relations with Naruto Uzumaki?" asked Tsunade calmly.

Hinata turned stark red and immediately hid underneath the witness-stands front wall so that Naruto couldn't see her.

Naruto was also stark red, and seemed to be dying of embarrassment at the stares he was sure he was getting to the back of his head. But he remembered his training with Jiraiya: Always keep a cool head under tough and important situations, and this definitely counted as one. He cleared his mind, and straightened his posture with his confidence renewed.

_'For Hinata.' _thought Naruto with a faint blush still present.

"Well Hinata? Tell them the truth." said Naruto calmly.

Hinata peeked up from below the stand to see Naruto's calm and stoic posture.

Merely seeing Naruto's confidence lifted her confidence as well. Enough for her to sit up in her seat behind the witness stand, and answer the question.

Everyone leaned forward to the front of their seats as they saw Hinata prepare to answer the question.

"No, w-we did not." answered Hinata with a still ever-present blush.

The entire jury sighed in relief, while half secretly sighed in defeat as well.

"Thank you sweety, you may step down." said Tsunade with a smile.

Hinata got down from the stand and shakily walked past Naruto to sit down next to Ten Ten, as far away from Daishi as she could get.

Ten Ten comforted her, and told her she did a good job while Tsunade overlooked the crowd.

She saw that Hinata had sat far away from the Hyuuga buy, and this made her glad, which only added to her good mood.

"Okay, in light of new evidence, and of the circumstances described, I hereby drop all charges against Naruto Uzumaki." said Tsunade.

There was an immediate uproar among the Hyuuga, and they began to wave their fists violently.

And one Hyuuga had the gall to stand up and shout:

"Under whose authority do you do that?!" exclaimed the Hyuuga.

"Under the authority of the Hokage!" exclaimed Tsunade as she stood tall.

"And the Kazekage." said Gaara stoically and calmly as he stood up from his seat in the jury.

"And the Raikage." said Houkou as she did the same.

"Ha! Your powerless here in Konoha, you don't matter here!" exclaimed another Hyuuga.

Gaara slowly turned and looked at the Hyuuga.

"Hm. What do you think Raikage-sama, that seemed like a threat to me." said Gaara.

"Hm. You are quite right. What do you say we take our strongest armies here to Konoha, and raise hell like no other war in the history of the world?" said Houkou as though thinking it was a good idea

The Hyuugas in the stands had looks of horror on their faces.

"Sounds like a plan... Unless you would like to apologize about that previous statement of yours..." said Gaara to the Hyuuga that spoke up before.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it! You are right! You have authority here! Please forgive my insolence!" exclaimed the man as he frantically bowed.

"Hm... all is forgiven then." said Gaara simply.

The Hyuugas had no choice, if they went against the decision of their Hokage, there would be consequences, but they could deal with that later. But the Raikage and Kazekage were a different matter, the Hyuugas couldn't bribe the two Kages like they do with the Konoha counsel.

Three Kages stood before them, in order to get to Naruto, they would have to go through three nations, the Fire, Wind, and Lightning.

Obviously defeated, the Hyuugas left in a huff, which left Naruto being congratulated and hugged by all of his friends.

"Alright Naruto! I knew you were innocent!" said Kiba happily as he was watched carefully by the ANBU.

"YES! The power of youth goes hand in hand with the power of truth!" exclaimed Lee happily.

"I knew you wouldn't do anything like that." said Sakura, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, you may be knucklehead, but you're not a pig." said Ino with a smile.

"Yes, I knew that Naruto respected women." said Shino from beside Kiba.

"I don't know you very well yet, but I'm glad that you are innocent." said Houkou from directly next to Kiba.

"Well, I know that you aren't innocent either... not anymore..." said Naruto as he shuddered, remembering what happened at Kiba's house.

Houkou blushed deeply and hugged Kiba tightly, putting her head close to his back to hide herself.

Kiba would have slugged Naruto, but they were in a court room.

Suddenly Sai was at Naruto's side.

"Is Hinata a lesbian?" asked Sai curiously.

Naruto blushed with his mouth agape at the question.

"No I think she said she was Bisexual..." said Houkou.

Naruto blushed deeper, and Hinata was appalled.

"W-What?!" exclaimed Neji as Hinata nearly fainted from embarrassment.

"Houkou! It was just a joke! I'll explain it to you later..." assured Kiba to everyone in earshot.

_'I should have told her that it was actually Naruto and not Hinata at our house before, but I kind of got distracted...' _thought Kiba with a blush.

Asuma walked up and quickly changed the subject.

"It was very bold of you to lie in court." said Asuma with his arms crossed.

"Yes, to save Hinata." added Kurenai with a smile.

"Very nice." said Sasuke with a smirk.

Naruto was happy, he was free, the trial had ended in the way he had hoped it would, neither him nor Hinata were sentenced to any punishments.

After a few minutes of congratulations, and for some reason a cold shoulder from Neji that he didn't understand, they all eventually left, leaving Naruto alone with Hinata, Tsunade, and Jiraiya.

Houkou had gone home with Kiba, and Gaara had went someplace in town that he didn't delve into before he left, so that left just the four of them.

Tsunade and Jiraiya walked up to Naruto and patted him on the back.

"Naruto, you lied to us, but we know you did it to protect Hinata... So it is alright." said Tsunade with a smile.

Naruto blushed in happiness, but Hinata looked sort of... angry.

"Naruto." said Hinata firmly with her fists actually clenched at her sides.

Normally she never would have stood up to, or argued with anyone. But Naruto did something that she couldn't just let blow away.

Naruto looked surprised, and didn't know what was wrong, but he waited for her to speak her mind.

"Why did you do that? Why did you risk you life in order to save mine?" asked Hinata firmly with tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"Because I care about you." said Naruto with a confused face.

"Well I care about you too! Did you ever stop and think about that?!" exclaimed Hinata angrily.

"No! I didn't!" exclaimed Naruto with a hurt tone. She was picking a fight with him after he risked his life for her!

Hinata had her fists clenched in anger and frustration.

"How selfish can you be?!" exclaimed Hinata angrily.

"Ouch..." muttered Jiraiya with raised eyebrows.

"Selfish?! I was willing to sacrifice myself so that you could live!" exclaimed Naruto angrily.

"Yes! And you would have left me sad and alone!!" exclaimed Hinata angrily as her breathing quickened from the fight.

"Why would you do that?!" exclaimed Hinata angrily as she rounded up on him.

"I don't know!!!" exclaimed Naruto loudly.

Hinata jumped back a bit at his outburst, but stood her ground.

Hinata was being so mean! She had him so flustered! He didn't know what she wanted him to say!

Naruto clenched his fists.  
"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY, I'M SORRY I FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU?!?!" asked Naruto incredulously.

Hinata suddenly froze herself out of her anger as her eyes got wide.

"Wh-wh-what?" asked Hinata incredulously.

"Whoa, didn't see that coming..." muttered Jaraiya again.

Hinata had lost all of her steam as soon as she had gotten it.

Hinata may have lost all of her anger, but Naruto still had plenty left. After all of the things he had offered to give up for her, she yelled at him?! Naruto was angry and hurt, and he really didn't want to be.

"Wh-what d-did y-you s-s-say?" asked Hinata with her mouth wide open, along with her eyes. She was barely breathing.

_'Maybe I misheard him! Maybe he meant something else! Maybe he was just saying it to continue the argument!'_ thought Hinata quickly as a blur of paranoid possibilities flew through her mind.

"Nothing! Just, Nothing!" shouted Naruto in frustration.

Naruto body-flickered(shunshin) out of the room angrily, leaving Hinata with Tsunade and Jiraiya.

Suddenly, Hinata fell to her knees as tears flowed from her face to the floor.

"I have to know... I have to know what he said... what he meant..." whispered Hinata desperately.

"I know where he went, it is probably the same place where he took you..." said Jiraiya.

Hinata got wide-eyed, and looked up to the Sannin, begging him to tell her with her deeply emotional eyes.

"The Sandaime's hair passage, where you can see the most beautiful lilac trees, and a wonderful sunset, which should be happening pretty soon on a related note..." said Jiraiya, checking his watch.

Still wide-eyed, Hinata sprinted out of the court room, leaving Tsunade and Jiraiya alone.

"So..." started Jiraiya.

"No." said Tsunade as she walked out.

"(sigh) No respect... Will she ever give me a chance again?" sulked Jiraiya.

* * *

In the town square in front of the Hokage tower, Hiashi was walking home, at a much more sluggish pace than normal.

"He won. That Kakashi must have used his psychological expertise to see through Naruto's lies." muttered Hiashi quietly to himself.

"I need some comfort food..." muttered Hiashi.

Hiashi wandered his way to the nearest restaurant, and sat down at the front bar.

"How may I help you?" asked Bryant.

"Please, get me whatever you recommend." said Hiashi with a sigh as he leaned against the counter.

"One bacon cheeseburger coming up." said Bryant.

Hiashi had no idea what a cheeseburger was but he knew that bacon was fatty and full of cholesterol.

But he didn't care, he was very depressed. He folded his arms and put his head down into them. For once in his life, he just needed to talk to someone, so it might as well be this guy.

"First, I didn't know there was any friction between my daughter and I, and then when it was brought to my attention, I made a repair with her, and she hugged me for the first time in years." said Hiashi.

"Sound to me like you're an asshole." said Bryant.

Hiashi looked up at Bryant from his arms.

"Just saying..." muttered Bryant.

Hiashi slammed his head back down into his arms.

"You're right... I'm a horrible father." muttered Hiashi sadly.

"Probably." said Bryant

"You aren't helping..." muttered Hiashi.

"You didn't ask me to help..." said Bryant.

"Well, to change up the conversation, Did you hear about that horrible man that accused Naruto of being a criminal? He sued him, and brought him into court for it! This asshole apparently was negligent to his daughter's happiness and acceptance. And she was an heiress! When his daughter ran away from him, he accused the Uzumaki kid for it, and the trial began. Sure, it turns out Naruto hurt the guy, but it was only to defend the girl! The man tried to get to his daughter violently! Can you believe that?! The trial ended not even twenty minutes ago..." said Bryant.

Hiashi repeatedly slammed his head into the counter.

After Hiashi was done, he raised his bruised head up and looked up at Bryant.

_'I am negligent to my daughter's happiness and acceptance?'_ thought Hiashi sadly.

"Is that what happened?" asked Hiashi quietly.

"Yes, guaranteed, I heard it from Neji, he is a Hyuuga, and he is apparently the cousin of the poor girl who was in the middle of all of this turmoil." said Bryant.  
Hiashi was shocked.

"Neji... said those things about m... about that man?" asked Hiashi.

"Yeah, he apparently respects the man, god knows why, but Neji thinks that the man has been a bad father, something about his job getting in the way of his family life." said Bryant as he served up his burger.

"Here you go, eat this, you will feel better." said Bryant.

Hiashi took the burger, and took a bite.

"This is delicious." said Hiashi wide-eyed as he continued to eat the burger with vigor.

"And so is you mother." muttered Bryant.

Hiashi ignored him and continued eating.

Bryant stopped what he was doing as though thinking for a moment, then suddenly turned to Hiashi.

"Alright, in return for this meal being free, here's what I want you to do, after you finish the sandwich, you need to go home and talk to your daughter. Talk to her like she is your daughter, not like she is the heiress." said Bryant.

Hiashi stopped eating and looked up at Bryant with a surprised face, swallowing his food.

_'He said heiress...'_ thought Hiashi.

There was only one heiress in Konoha.

"You knew that I was the man who was in court?" asked Hiashi incredulously.

"Yes. I was trying to get the point across to you. Now go on home, you need to talk to your daughters." said Bryant as he went to the back to wash the dishes.  
When Bryant walked to the back, he walked with a limp.

Hiashi didn't think anything of it, but felt very grateful to this man.

"Thank you, thank you very much." said Hiashi.

"No problem, I hope you get better." said Bryant, noticing Hiashi's crutches.

"You too... What happened to you?" asked Hiashi, noticing his foot wrapped in bandages.

"Shot myself in the foot... What happened to you?" asked Bryant.

"... A fox came out of nowhere and knocked some sense into me." said Hiashi with a nod as he left the restaurant.

(Flashback)

"Banishment from Konoha eh?" said Naruto with tears in his eyes.

"That is correct" said Hiashi opening his eyes to watch the boy.

"If that is the price I must pay to keep Hinata out of trouble, then so be it." affirmed Naruto as he held back his tears to step up to Hiashi.

"Na...Naruto..." said Hinata as more tears welled up in her eyes as well.

She was overwhelmed that Naruto would give up everything he worked for, his ninja rank, his home, and his friends, just so she would remain out of trouble.

Hiashi, Hinata, and Tsunade all stood in shock at what Naruto said, that he would be willing to give up everything for her.

Hiashi pushed his shock aside to think.

_'This could all be just a one-shot deal, and he probably put all of his courage into one declaration, and if he were to re-think it, I bet he would chicken out'_ thought Hiashi as he slightly grinned.

"You are willing to be banished in place of Hinata then? You will never be able to return to Konoha, and you will be stripped of your rank as a chunnin in this village. Are you sure this is what you want?" said Hiashi pausing to see if he would reconsider.

Naruto looked straight into Hiashi's eyes as he felt himself crying.

"If that is the price, I will pay it" said Naruto taking off his head band and tossing it to Hiashi

They were all stunned that Naruto was willing to go through with it as he walked past Hiashi towards the Hokage's door.

"I care for Hinata-chan, and I don't want her to be sad." said Naruto with his hand against the door.

"Na...Naruto..." said Hinata stunned in place

(End flashback)

"Maybe Naruto isn't so bad after all..." muttered Hiashi as he walked down the street and out of sight.

"Heh, sounds like Naruto got a point across to him during their fight." said Bryant.

"More like Naruto did the talking during the fight, and what Naruto said now, makes since to him after your meddling." said Tyler with a smile.

"..."

"Get out from behind the counter..." said Bryant.

"Sorry..."

"So, how are you doing here in Konoha?" asked Bryant.

"Well, it's hard dealing with such a drastic change in climate, but I am slowly adapting." said Tyler as he took a swig from his flask covered in seals.

"You can't even go an hour without that stuff can you?" asked Bryant.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about." said Tyler all too quickly.

Being used to Tyler's quickened speech, Bryant understood everything he said.

"Whatever... Well aside from the climate, how are you doing?" asked Bryant.

"Well, I miss my first village dearly, and I will never go back to my second village, but this village by far is the best one yet aside from the climate that is." said Tyler even quicker than before as he started to twitch.

"Well that's good to hear. I was worried for a while." said Bryant.

"I have to go, here comes one of those guys again..." said Tyler as he quickly seemed to vanish from existence he moved so fast.

As tough on cue, a person walked up to the counter and sat down at the bar.

"I'll have a fish sandwich." said Itachi as he rested his elbows on the counter, and put his head on his hands in frustration.

_'If Kisame saw me eating this sandwich, he'd never let me hear the end of it...'_ thought Itachi as his mind was plagued with all sorts of other troubles.

Bryant sensed his worry, and struck up a conversation like he always did with his customers.

"Something the matter?" asked Bryant politely.

"(Sigh) There is too much worry going on in my life right now..." began Itachi.

"Go on..." prodded Bryant.

"Well let me give it to you bluntly, My brother thinks I'm a psychopathic lunatic that killed our family, and he doesn't know that I'm not, my girlfriend, whom I haven't seen in over a year because of my job, might have hooked up with somebody else in my absence, and if she hasn't hooked up with anyone yet, she probably hates me for leaving her without saying goodbye." said Itachi, never looking up from the counter.

"Yeeeah. Well, let me think. Is there a way to tell your brother without a confrontation?" asked Bryant.

"I doubt it." sighed Itachi.

"Well then you just have to go up to him, and get it over with." said Bryant.

"As for your girlfriend, does she love you?" asked Bryant.

"I'm not sure she does anymore after I left her..." sighed Itachi.

"Did she love you before you left?" asked Bryant.

"With all of her heart." said Itachi, feeling a little better.

"Do you love her?" asked Bryant.

"More than anything." said Itachi.

"Well, then, go up to her, and tell her the truth, tell her how you feel, and reveal what happened, beg for her forgiveness. If she truly loves you, she will forgive you." said Bryant.

Itachi suddenly felt much more confident as he stood up from his seat.

"Here is your fish sandwich." said Bryant.

"Make it to go." said Itachi confidently.

Bryant smiled and wrapped up the sandwich in a bag and handed it to him.

Itachi laid the money down on the counter, and disappeared in a shunshin.

_'Look out Dr. Phil, here comes Dr. Love!'_ thought Bryant egomaniacally.

_'Muwahahaha!' _thought Bryant as he washed the dishes.

* * *

Hinata was running as fast as she could, she knew she had to get there as fast as she could, but she couldn't shunshin that great of a distance, and she also couldn't do it that many times, she had been feeling very weak as of late.

She was desperate and she was actually tearing, and she couldn't take it anymore.

"I have to know... I need to know what he said!" exclaimed Hinata between heaving breaths and she sprinted down the street.

"I have to say I'm sorry, but he has to know how I feel!" exclaimed Hinata.

She ran through the streets ignoring the four cloaked figures hiding in the shadows.

"Do you think we should follow?" asked Kisame.

"Deidara, you do it." said Itachi.

"Yeah. Un." said Deidara without another thought.

Deidara disappeared, and the three remaining cloaked figures turned towards each other.

"Alright, we need to run a search to find that guy we lost before." said Kisame.

"Do you guys... smell fish?" asked Kisame.

Itachi got nervous.

"Well Kisame, you are a shark..." said the third cloaked figure.

"Not that! I mean cooked fish!" said Kisame.

"Never mind that now, we have a nin to apprehend!" exclaimed the third cloaked figure.

"Right, we'll take the normal routes, but run a chakra-seal search this time." said Itachi.

"Go." said Itachi.

The three cloaked figures disappeared in different directions, and Hinata was left with Deidara trailing her.

_'Now I can go do what I should have done a long time ago...'_ thought Itachi as he bounded off towards the Hokage tower.

* * *

Hinata reached the top of the monument, and began to make huge leaps up to the top of the Sandaime's head.

She easily found the gap in his hair, and followed the path.

She rushed through the gap, and slightly scraped her arm, but she didn't care, she had to see him, she had to know.

She rushed into the clearing and was disappointed that she didn't see Naruto.

She panicked for a moment, thinking that she was in the wrong place, but then a lilac petal fell down and landed on her nose.

She took off the petal, and looked up from where it fell to see Naruto perched at the top of one of the many lilac trees, and he seemed to be in deep thought.

"Naruto!" shouted Hinata desperately.

She surprised herself AND Naruto since she had yelled that loudly, because he wasn't really that far away.

Naruto looked down at Hinata and saw her face.

He saw sorrow, pain, and desperateness.

This wrenched at his heart, and he felt all of the anger leave him.

He was still put off that Hinata had yelled at him after all he had done to protect her, but he still felt love for her, and that would never go away.

Naruto jumped down from the tree, and immediately found himself staring at Hinata.

She was so beautiful, but her face was filled with conflict and tears, she looked as though she was struggling in between moving closer to Naruto or staying where she was.

Naruto didn't know what to say, but he knew what he felt.

He felt unappreciated, but he felt himself in love as well.

The tension between them to start a conversation was thick, and both felt uncomfortable.

"Hinata..." whispered Naruto.

"N-Naruto-kun." whispered Hinata.

It had been a while since she had used that suffix, and it softened up Naruto quite a bit.

"Hinata, I... feel as though you don't care that I worked so hard to protect you..." said Naruto quietly.

His voice sounded hurt, and that yanked at Hinata's heart almost violently.

"No Naruto-kun... I t-told you before in the woods, I th-thanked you so much f-for what you had done, and I still f-feel the same way. I feel as th-though I will never beable to r-repay you for what you have done for m-me." choked Hinata through tears. She was trying not to cry, but she was very emotional, she felt terrible. Naruto had done all of this for her, and she had yelled at him, but for good reasons that he didn't understand.

"Why did you yell at me then?" asked Naruto quietly as he looked at his feet.

Hinata shifted her vision to her feet as well, and wiped the tears from her face, but they were only replaced a few seconds later.

"W-what you did was horrible to me, but at the s-same time, I feel I can n-never repay you for what you d-did." said Hinata weakly.

Naruto looked up at her, and gave her a confused look.

"I don't understand, what was so bad about what I did?" asked Naruto with a hurt voice.

Hinata flinched and didn't look up from her feet.

"You t-tried to s-sacrifice yourself for me, w-without asking m-me how I felt about it..." said Hinata quietly.

Naruto now had his attention intently on her, but still had a confused look.

"But I don't understand... why would you care?" asked Naruto.

"Because I care about you!" exclaimed Hinata.

"I care about you too!" exclaimed Naruto, making Hinata jump in surprise.

"And it was either YOU or ME, and I chose ME so YOU would live, so why do YOU complain?!" asked Naruto almost angrily.

Hinata was tensed up, her hands in fists and bottom lip quivering.

"Don't you want to live!?!" asked Naruto incredulously.

"NOT WITHOUT YOU!!!" shouted Hinata suddenly.

Naruto got wide-eyed, and stared at Hinata's tearing and determined form.

"Hin... Hinata..." whispered Naruto in surprise.

Suddenly, Hinata's attempted suicide during the Sasuke Retrieval mission made since. She wasn't going to kill herself before because she had never experienced death and had lost a friend, she was going to kill herself because she thought she couldn't live without him!

Naruto's eyes were wide open, and his heart was going haywire from where this conversation was going.

"I c-care about you! I don't want you to die! I f-feel happy around you! You g-give me confidence! You g-give me a feeling that I can only describe as... AS LOVE!" shouted Hinata as tears continued to flow down her face.

Naruto didn't move, couldn't move, he was shocked into place as the sound of his heart beating rang violently in his head.  
"I LOVE YOU!!!" screamed Hinata with tears flowing ever more rapidly down her face.

Finally, she got it out, she had kept it bottled up for years and years, and finally it was all out there, Naruto knew everything now, there was no going back.

She awaited his reaction, each second she waited felt like an individual eternity.

After a moment, Naruto walked a few steps over to Hinata, and stood directly in front of her.

_'Hinata... Loves me...'_ thought Naruto with disbelief.

He stood clearly within her personal space, his heart pounding with absolute joy as his mind raced over what he wanted to say.

"Is... is that really how you feel Hinata? Do you really... love me?" asked Naruto as he stared intensely into her eyes.

Hinata stared back into his eyes just as intensely. She had no fear now, she had already told him her feelings, but it would still be hard to say.

"Y-Yes! I have felt this way for a long time, I have had a crush on you ever since I first saw you, but over the years, it b-blossomed into love. I love how you are always good to others, I love how you are always strong, I love how you comfort me, how you give me confidence, how you make me feel, I. Love. You." said Hinata emotionally.

She felt great getting all of that off of her chest, but that great feeling was replaced with a horrible fear.

What if he didn't love her in return? What if he didn't give her love a chance?

Naruto stood staring into her tearing eyes, and suddenly he looked intensely into her eyes. The movement was so sudden, it made Hinata jump slightly.

Naruto leaped forward, and hugged Hinata.

Hinata gasped as Naruto held her tight, and she was even more surprised when she felt Naruto's tears flow down her back.

Hinata was shocked, what did this reaction mean? Was he sad and trying to comfort her because he was going to turn her down? Was he sad that he was about to crush her heart?

Naruto leaned back so he could look into Hinata's eyes again, and see her beautiful face.

Naruto's mind raced through his memories, remembering all of their times together, trying to find just the words he wanted to say.

"Hinata, do you remember that perfect woman for me that Shino mentioned on our mission to get Kiba?" asked Naruto.

Hinata was wide eyed and very very attentive.

She slowly nodded, knowing that there were two ways that this could go. He could either say that he loved someone else and turn her down, or say that it was her that Shino was talking about, and that he loved her.

Hinata stared at Naruto, waiting for his response.

"I figured out who it was." said Naruto.

Hinata was very emotional, which was he going to say?

Was he going to tell her he had fallen for another? Her heart would be torn to shreds...

"Before... I told you that I had a significant other that I was secretly after..." said Naruto.

"Do you know who it was?" asked Naruto.

Hinata with wide eyes shook her head slowly, listening to every word, taking in every syllable.

It could be any girl in Konoha, he could be giving examples to try to bring the conversation away from the fact that she had just told him that she loved him.

"It was the the very same woman that Shino described." said Naruto.

She now desperately awaited his answer as she thought she would explode from the tension.

Naruto moved in closer so that his nose was touching hers, and he looked deeply into her beautiful endless lavender pools that were her eyes.

Hinata felt her very soul being gazed at by two bright Cerulean oceans of blue as her heart completely stopped, begging for his response.

"It was you." said Naruto with a smile and a blush to match hers.

Her eyes widened, and her entire body froze in disbelief.

Could this really be happening? Had she heard him correctly?

"I've fallen in love with you Hinata Hyuuga." whispered Naruto.

Naruto closed his eyes and moved his face in closer to her's.

Hinata was freaking out emotionally and her brain was racing through her thoughts.

_'He Loves me?! HE LOVES ME!!!! YES! YES!! YEEEEEEEESSS!!!'_ thought Hinata wildly.

Her heart pounded with an excitement and happiness she had never felt before.

Naruto slowly turned his head sideways, and moved his lips closer to hers.

Hinata's heart pounded in her chest, as she completely froze again.

She had dreamed of this moment for years, and here it was, happening to her. It was all too real.

Naruto moved his head forward, and met her lips met his.

Neither of them were experienced in kissing so they simply let their lips touch and enjoyed the contact.

Hinata's cheeks immediately reddened, and the blush spread very quickly as her eyes rolled into the back on her head.

She closed her eyes, and would have fallen to the ground if Naruto wasn't holding her.

This was the happiest Naruto had ever been in his entire life. He felt Hinata's plush and moist lips caressing his, expressing her love for him. He felt her love, and it was amazing. It was so strong and overwhelming that he almost blacked out. His heart went wild as the overwhelming feeling of love completely swept over him. He tightly wrapped his arms around Hinata's back, memorizing every inch that he felt.

Hinata was experiencing similar emotions.

When Naruto's lips met hers, years and years of angst melted away. Relief and love flooded through her body and mind. She felt Naruto's lips caressing hers, moving provocatively, and at the same time lovingly. This was easily the happiest moment in her entire life. She felt herself melt in Naruto grasp, as her heart threatened to burst from her chest it was beating so hard. Hinata could have died right there, and been okay with it.

Their bodies were held tightly against each other as they felt each others warmth. Naruto and Hinata were so happy that they both still had tears flowing from their eyes.

The sun was slowly going down, still providing them with a little bit of warmth. but they didn't need the sun to warm them, they had each other.

After what seemed like an eternity of kissing, Naruto realized that they needed to breathe. Naruto let go of her lips, gasping for breathe along with her. He gazed at her beautiful and perfect face, her gorgeous lush lips, and her endless caring eyes. He loved her so much, and now that he had expressed it, relief had swept over him like a overpowering current.

Naruto chuckled because of how amazing he felt.

He felt her breathing hard as her breasts moved in time to her breathing, her beautifully warm body in his arms.

'God I never want this to end!.' thought Naruto.

"I Love you Hinata Hyuuga, so very much." whispered Naruto happily as he rested his forehead against hers.

"And I Love you too Naruto Uzumaki, so v-very very much" whispered Hinata breathlessly.

The sunset accentuated their figures as the wind gracefully blew lilac petals through the air from the surrounding trees.

Their kissing may have seemed like it lasted an eternity, but they both desperately yearned for more.

Hinata looked hungrily into his eyes.

Naruto could get used to that look.

Naruto moved forward, turning his head sideways as he kissed her again.

Both of their hearts fluttered again as this overwhelming feeling of love was expressed through another kiss.

Hinata enjoyed the kiss even more than the first one. She felt Naruto's hands rubbing up and down her back, making her body shiver from his touch.

She was suddenly surprised by something new.

She felt Naruto's tongue touch her lips through the kiss, begging for entrance to her moist and loving mouth.

Hinata opened her lips and eagerly greeted his tongue with hers.

His tongue danced erotically around hers, as she did the same to his by instinct.

The blushes on Hinata and Naruto's faces were intensely deepened by this new feeling of passion.

This new feeling combined with the love coming from Naruto was too much for Hinata.

She felt her knees getting weak as she realized that Naruto was the only thing holding her up. She was butter in his hands.  
Naruto, feeling weak as well, lowered them both down, and gently laid her on the ground, as he continued to kiss her in the same deep way throughout the movement.

He laid on top off her, his hands massaging her body, his tongue expressing his love through such sensual actions, all of this heated passion.

She couldn't take it anymore.

She suddenly pushed Naruto away from her.

Naruto looked and felt as though he had been hurt and rejected, but his face changed when he saw Hinata's expression.

She was breathing just as raggedly as he was, but there was something about her face and expression that made him blush even deeper.

She was on her hands and knees gasping for air, but that wasn't the only reason she was breathing so erratically.

Her face showed an extreme longing for him. It was lust. She was trying to control herself, but she wasn't winning, and it was showing.

She seemed to be in a daze from the mental and physical overload of emotions, she could barely think straight.

_'N-no way...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto blushed deeply, but felt himself get even happier. She wanted him. Even if she was barely in control. And that made his heart float as light as a feather.

Naruto reached over to her, and pulled her close. Hinata thought he was going to kiss her again, and tried to resist, because she feared she would lose control.

But instead of a kiss, Naruto merely embraced her closely to him, and nuzzled his head soothingly into her neck.

Hinata blushed. She knew that one more kiss would have sent her over the line, and she would have done _many_ inappropriate things with him. That she was certain. But she didn't feel as though she were ready for any of that yet, even though it was so tantalizingly tempting. She realized that Naruto respected her, and stopped kissing her so that she could gain her self-control again. She smiled as she nuzzled herself into him, getting comfortable as they both caught their breaths.

They laid in the warmth of each-others arms, staring into each others eyes as they felt each other breathe.

Never before had they ever felt or expressed so much love.

As they laid next to each other, their heads nuzzled into each other's necks, they both yearned to look into each other's eyes.

Hinata quickly raised her head and found herself surprised to see Naruto's head raised to greet hers.

She looked straight into his eyes.

Passion, caring, and endless love.

"Naruto..." whispered Hinata, her eyes filled with happiness.

Naruto smiled and pecked her quickly on the lips catching her off guard.

"You are just too cute." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata's face flushed red and she buried her face into his chest.

"N-Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata in embarrassment of his compliment.

As Hinata laid there, she breathed in the scent of his jacket. His scent was so calming, so reassuring.

Hinata could have stayed like this forever, but she knew it was getting late, and so did he.

"Hinata, before I asked if you could sleep with me in your bed... Is that alright now?" asked Naruto.

Hinata blushed very very deeply.

"I mean, JUST sleeping with you." said Naruto with a light blush.

Hinata smiled, and hugged him.

"Yes, I would love that very much." said Hinata bashfully.

Naruto picked her up bridal style, and looked into her loving eyes again. He smiled and began to carry her home as the sun went down.

When Naruto left, what he didn't know was that he left Deidara crying in the trees above.

Deidara waited until they were out of hearing range before he started crying loudly into a tissue.

"That was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!! A masterpiece!! Un!" cried Deidara as he blew his noise loudly into a tissue.

* * *

Naruto made his way through the streets, trying to find his way to Hinata's house.

He normally knew his way around town perfectly, but his encounter with Hinata had his brain all flustered.

As he ran down a main street, he noticed that very few people were outside.

It didn't bother him much, around this time there were never very many people outdoors.

Hinata was in his arms and was fast asleep, he barely made a noise as he carried her through the market.

He then noticed a small group of cloaked figures standing outside of one of the many bars in Konoha.

They were ANBU, and normally this wouldn't have really fazed him, but there was someone there that did.

The group of ANBU seemed to be looking at one person that stood in front, talking to them.

It was Tsunade. She was standing in the light of a street lamp while issuing orders to the ANBU that he couldn't hear properly.

_'What could she be doing here at this late of an hour?'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto quickly jumped up on top of the building closest to him, and set down Hinata softly onto the roof.

Naruto then took off his hat, letting his ears air out.

It felt good to have the slight breeze flow into his ears, getting air to flow between his very fine golden fur. But while he had his hat off, he could hear a lot better as well, which was the initial reason for taking it off.

Naruto listened carefully to everything that they were saying.

"Alright, you have your assignments, now spread out and perform with honor!" exclaimed Tsunade with authority.

The ANBU disappeared, leaving Tsunade standing alone beneath the streetlight.

Naruto would have gone down to ask her what that was all about, be she also disappeared just as quickly as the ANBU.

Naruto was too late it would seem.

Naruto turned to go and put his hat back on, but just before he did, he picked up a voice near where he was just listening.

"Wait! Argh! Not again! I was too late again..." said the voice.

Naruto now saw a girl that stood right where Tsunade had just been, and she looked to be lost somewhat. Naruto couldn't tell what she looked like, he could only go by the vague outline of her body since she wasn't in the light of the streetlamp like Tsunade was.

Naruto decided not to move, and continued to listen in.

The girl seemed to be talking to herself, but Naruto couldn't concentrate on her voice, he was too... distracted.

Hinata was gripping him closely, and was snuggling her head against his stomach, tickling him slightly.

"Naruto... closer..." whispered Hinata in her sleep.

Naruto smiled with a blush.

"Alright, alright. Sheesh you're needy." joked Naruto with a smile before lifting her up to him, and holding her tightly against him.

Hinata sighed happily and drifted off into a much deeper sleep.

After he was sure that Hinata was comfortable, he went back to listening to the girl rant on about something.

"First I get attacked by those 4 weird cloaked people, then I can't find the Hokage anywhere! And when I finally find her, she leaves before I can even let her know of my existence!" exclaimed the girl as she continued to go on and on about similar things.

Naruto decided it was time to intervene.

Naruto put on his hat, and scooped Hinata up bridal style, jumping quietly back down into the street.

He checked to make sure he didn't wake Hinata, but was interrupted by the girl's voice.

"Hey!" shouted a voice.

Naruto looked up from Hinata to see that girl he didn't know running towards him.

Now that the shadows weren't covering her, he could make out her appearance.

She looked to be around the age of either her late teens, or early twenties. She had medium length brown hair that rested on her shoulders, and also went a ways down her back. She wore a black cloak to cover over what looked like some kind of vest. She also wore very baggy blue jeans which looked familiar to Naruto for some reason. When he looked up to her eyes, he noticed that they were a strange green color, it didn't seem like eyes should be that green.

He noted all of her features, then he took note that she didn't ring any bells in his memory.

He stopped and waited for her to get to him.

She skidded to a halt in front of him and looked him in the eyes.

Naruto was quite thrown off by this. Not the fact that she looked him in the eyes, but the fact that she wasn't out of breath. She had run quite a ways to get to him, and normally any other person would have had to spend at least a few seconds to catch their breath, but she never even took the time, nor did she look tired in the least.

After a few seconds of looking into his eyes she smiled and reached into one of her many pockets.

It WAS a vest underneath her cloak, it had many many pockets in which to choose from.

"You are Naruto Uzumaki, are you not?" asked the girl as she rummaged through her pockets.

"Yeah. That's me." said Naruto, who was now a little suspicious.

"But who are you?" asked Naruto.

The girl blinked once and stopped rummaging.

"Oh! I'm sorry, how rude of me, my name is Ashurii but you may call me Ashley if you like." said the girl with a smile as she extended her hand.

Naruto looked at Ashley's hand then looked at Hinata in his arms.

"Oh right sorry, your hands are full." said Ashley.

Ashley then bowed to Naruto politely.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." said Ashley.

"Likewise I'm sure." replied Naruto just as politely with a smile.

Ashley then went back to rummaging in her pockets before pulling out a scroll.

"Here, this is for you." said Ashley.

Naruto looked at the scroll then at Ashley.

"(sigh)"

Naruto brought his hands together to make the hands signs for a shadow clone, and made a clone appear to his left in a puff of smoke, making Ashley jump a bit.

Naruto's clone reached forward and took the scroll from her.

He opened it to see a letter addressed to him.

_To Lord Uzumaki, Rokudaime of the Village Hidden in the Leaves..._

That was how the letter began, which stunned Naruto. He was addressed as the sixth Hokage, and a Lord all in the same letter.

Before he could read more, Ashley put her hand over the scroll, and quickly rolled it up in his hands with a swift movement.

"Please, wait until you are in a private location before you read this letter, it is very important." said Ashley.

The Naruto clone nodded in understanding before pocketing the scroll in the original Naruto's jacket before disappearing in a plume of smoke.

"Well, that was all I came her for, but I might see you around, I have things I need to be doing." said Ashley as she turned around.

"Wait! Did you need help finding Tsunade?" asked Naruto.

The quickly turned around and looked at Naruto.

Her movement was too fast and very disorienting. It appeared as though she moved faster than she should have when she turned.

_'Where have I seen that before?'_ thought Naruto.

"How did you know I was looking for her?" asked Ashley suspiciously.

"I heard you ranting to yourself over there." said Naruto, pointing to the bar where Tsunade was.

"Oh." said Ashley, blushing that she had been caught talking to herself.

"Well, it's no big deal really, it's not an emergency of any kind, so I shouldn't bother you about it." said Ashley.

Naruto didn't know what to say to this oddly dressed girl. He didn't know her, and it was awkward.

While she fidgeted, she instinctively rubbed her arm with her hand, revealing a wrist-guard encrusted with a light blue gem. but it was for only half a second.

_'She has very strange abilities, it is easy to see...'_ thought Naruto

While thinking of what to say, Naruto remembered something Kyuubi had warned him about, something that was relative to the situation.

"Watch for the Bijuu..." muttered Naruto quietly.

Ashley barely caught what he had said, and looked shocked.

"W-what?" asked Ashley with a shaky voice.

"Hm? Oh nothing." said Naruto.

In Naruto's experience, he knew that meeting new people that were oddly dressed with weird powers either meant that they were just weird people like Gai and Lee, or that they had some kind of special powers like a Jinkurichi, or based on what he heard from Tyler and Sora, a Pseudo-Jinchuriki.

Naruto eyed her suspiciously.

_'Could she be a Jinchuriki?'_ thought Naruto.

Ashley seemed to be trying to shrink herself under Naruto's gaze, but wasn't very successful. She was beginning to become very uncomfortable.

"Well, I have lots of thing I should be doing so... I'll see you around." said Ashley nervously.

Before Naruto could question her, she took off like bullet in the opposite direction.

She was fast, faster than bushy brows, but she wasn't really running like Lee normally would, she just launched herself forward once, streamlining her body only a few inches above the ground as she planted another foot down in the air and continued to repeat the process until she was completely out of sight. It was kind of like watching someone figure skate, only on air instead of ice.

Her speed was familiar, it had the same affect from when she had quickly turned around. But he recognized it from somewhere else, but he couldn't place from where.

Naruto shrugged before looking back down at Hinata who caught his attention by snuggling her head into his chest and slowly rubbing it gently up and down, gently moving the fabric of his shirt.

"Naruto..." whispered Hinata in her sleep.

Naruto blushed and stared down into her face.

She was so peaceful, so beautiful.

_'God I am one lucky guy...' _thought Naruto.

Naruto smiled inwardly as he bounded off in the direction of the Hyuuga compound.

While still carrying Hinata bridal style, he jumped over the walls of the Hyuuga estate, landing in the backyard without making a sound.

As soon as he hit the grass, he had a horrible realization.

_'Hiashi is home now! Crap! I forgot until JUST now!' _exclaimed Naruto in his mind.

Naruto quickly moved to Hinata's room window, opened it, and jumped in with Hinata in tow.

Naruto landed softly on Hinata's plush carpet, not making a single sound.

The lights clicked on and Neji was standing with his arms crossed staring at Naruto in an angry manner.

"And just what do you think you are doing?" asked Neji suspiciously, eying Hinata in his arms.

"Bringing Hinata home." said Naruto nonchalantly as he ignored Neji's piercing gaze.

Naruto turned, and gently placed Hinata on her bed.

She stirred a bit from the lack of Naruto's warmth, but didn't wake up.

Naruto took her jacket, and unzipped it, rolling her over gently to take it off.

After he folded Hinata's jacket, he opened up the first drawer of her dresser to put it in.

He blushed realizing that he had opened up her underwear drawer.

He hoped Neji hadn't noticed as he quickly closed that drawer and opened the next one.

This one was full of bras of all kinds. Frilly, smooth, lavender, black, and even a very familiar orange color was there.

Naruto blushed again as he quickly closed the drawer to open another.

Neji noticed Naruto's actions, but didn't lash out at Naruto for it. He knew that Naruto didn't do it on purpose based on how fast he shut the drawers after he opened them.

_'I will never forget a single article of clothing that I have just seen...' _thought Naruto in a deep blush.

Before Naruto could make another possible mistake, Neji threw in a comment to help him.

"I don't know about Hinata, but I keep my coats and jackets in the fourth drawer down." said Neji politely.

Naruto nodded gratefully.

Naruto opened the drawer and immediately closed it before Neji could even tell what had him so flustered.

"What?" asked Neji.

Naruto was covering up his nose with his sleeve to prevent the blood from pouring out. His face was dark red, and he looked to be very mentally phased by what he had seen.

"N-noth-thing..." muttered Naruto.

There were jackets and coats in that drawer, but that is not what caused him to act to flustered. It was what he had seen in with the clothing that caused his nose to bleed followed by a series of images in head that he doubted would ever leave.

"Well, evidently it was also something personal, so why don't you try the third drawer?" asked Neji, just trying to help him.

Naruto shook his head.

He was scared what might be in any other drawers of Hinata's.

"D-does Hinata h-have a closet or something?" stammered Naruto through his thoughts.

"Yes, over here." replied Neji.

Neji went over to her closet on the other side of the room opposite of her bed, and opened it for him.

There in the closet was a large amount of clothing hanging from coat hangers on a pipe that ran horizontally from the right wall to the left wall.

There was so much clothing that there wasn't even any room between any of the clothes that hung there.

Among the monstrous amount of clothing, Naruto saw an empty coat hanger, and moved the article of clothing next to it so that he could get the hanger out.

Naruto stopped when he moved the clothing to stare at what he was touching.

It was a beautiful dress. It didn't surprise him that it was lavender, seeing that the color really complimented her figure, but it was the overall layout of the clothing that shocked him. It was a strapless dress that looked like it would only go down to Hinata's mid thigh. Naruto blushed deeply as he took the coat hanger out, and hung up Hinata's coat.

_'I hope that one day she will wear that for me...'_ thought Naruto in hope before he went to close the closet door.

When Naruto went to close the door, the frame of the door caught on his pant leg, causing him to trip forward. He fell through the clothing to reveal that there was actually a lot more room in the closet than one would think. In fact there was three times more room behind her clothes then there was in front.

Naruto looked to the walls on the left and right to see that they were covered in weapons. It was quite an extensive collection, and Naruto was impressed.

Naruto looked to the back wall of the room, and was surprised by what he saw.

Hanging on the wall by two separate holsters was his old jacket that he used to wear when he was just out of the academy.

Naruto blushed.

She had his jacket for a long time, and after what had happened today, he knew why she kept it.

He went up to it and touched it, remembering its texture and comfort of the suit.

It even still smelled like him, even though it had been such a long time.

He blushed even deeper, realizing that Hinata probably relished that fact.

She probably smelled it from time to time just to remember him.

He was gone for over two and a half years, and he realized that his absence must have really affected her greatly if she had to keep an article of his clothing hidden from everyone.

"Naruto, are you alright?" asked Neji from the other side of the clothing.

"Yeah. I just hit my head..." lied Naruto as he made his way out.

Naruto blushed as he carefully closed the closet door, still blushing from what he had found in only one night alone.

He had only been in Hinata's room for less than a couple of minutes, but he had already learned so many things about her that he didn't even dare to know before.

Naruto walked over to Hinata and looked at her still blushing face.

_'God I love her...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto noticed that she still had some equipment attached to her, so he decided to take it off.

Naruto reached towards her hips.

Before Neji could scream at Naruto in shock of where his hands where headed, Naruto quickly took off Hinata's equipment that was around her waist.

_'Oh...' _thought Neji.

Naruto then took off her leg holster as well and put her equipment down on top of her dresser.

Naruto blushed as he noticed something he didn't before.

On the dresser next to the equipment he laid down, was a picture of him from over three years ago.

_'Wow, she really did have a crush on me way back when... First my jacket and now a picture... At least she didn't hide this.' _thought Naruto with a pleasantly warming blush.

Knowing that someone loved you in such a way, warmed his entire body and made him feel very light.

This was a new experience, but he liked it, very very much.

Naruto then walked over to her bed, and leaned over her, and got very close to her.

Before Neji could do or say anything, Naruto moved in and kissed her on the lips.

Neji almost fell over in shock as he stood there, pointing at the two as Naruto kissed Neji's cousin while she slept.

Naruto ignored Neji presence as he felt Hinata's arms wrap around him in her sleep.

_'Even in her sleep she knows it's me.'_ thought Naruto as his mind fuzzed over, making it hard to think.

Naruto still stood next to the bed, not wanting to get too close to her since Neji was in the room.

As Naruto deepened the kiss, he was surprised by Hinata suddenly pulling him fully on top of him, and rolling him as that he was on his side.

Hinata then broke from the kiss and moved her head down a bit.

She then slowly licked Naruto on his neck.

Naruto completely stiffened as her tongue made its way from his collarbone, up his chin to his lips where she stopped and licked his lips. Naruto blushed immensely as Hinata sighed contently and nuzzled her head into his chest, embracing him tightly as though she would never let go.

Naruto was pretty sure she never would.

Naruto looked over to Neji, pleading him to understand.

But Naruto forgot that nobody knew that they were together now, and he realized by the look on Neji's face that he had shocked him pretty good.

Neji shook himself from his stupor, and gave Naruto a "How could you?!" look as he closed in on them.

As Neji got closer Naruto realized Neji's look was more of a "I'm going to throttle you." look than anything. Naruto shut his eyes, and waited for a beating to come that he figured he deserved, but the beating never came. Neji instead took Hinata's hands, and tried to pry her from Naruto. But she wouldn't budge, she continued to hold onto him tightly while slowly snuggling her head into his chest.

"Neji..." whispered Naruto so that he wouldn't wake her up.

"Reach into my top right pocket, and take out the scroll that is on the far left." said Naruto quietly.

Neji stopped trying to pry Hinata from him, realizing he would never get her off of him, and at the same time realized that Naruto had probably figured out the same thing.

He reached into Naruto's pocket like he requested, and pulled out a scroll.

He unwound it to see it was only a small square piece of paper with a summoning pattern on it.

"It's a summoning scroll, I sealed some of my special illusion chakra into it, if you picture something, and place it onto me, I will stay henged as I sleep." said Naruto quietly.

Neji understood, they couldn't get Naruto off of her, so Naruto would make it so he could stay there all night without being caught.

"I see, I am... not comfortable with you sleeping with Hinata... but It looks as though I have no choice." said Neji almost angrily.

Neji took the scroll in his hands and looked questioningly at Naruto.

"Okay, now picture what I should turn into, and apply your blood and chakra to release the illusion at the same time." whispered Naruto.

Neji nodded, biting his thumb and swiping it over the middle of the summons. Neji applied his chakra while he pictured the perfect disguise with a smirk.

Neji slammed his hand into Naruto, bruising him purposely as the illusion was released.

Suddenly, Naruto warped into a nine-tailed chibi kitsune stuffed animal.

"There, perfect." said Neji with a smirk as he walked to Hinata's room door.

"Now Naruto, tomorrow, we are going to have a little talk you and I, and if I find that you have done ANYTHING with Hinata, I will slit your throat..." said Neji quietly as he closed the door behind him.

Naruto knew he would have a busy day ahead of him tomorrow, but Hinata made all of his worries melt away.

_'I could get used to this...'_ thought Naruto happily.

He completely forgot about what Neji had said, and he enjoyed his girlfriend's close embrace.

_'My girlfriend... heh, I like the sound of that...'_ thought Naruto as he drifted into a deepest sleep he had ever experienced in his entire life.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

I hope I get more reviews then I've been getting... Based on a per chapter ratio, I'm only getting about 8 or 9 reviews a chapter. I only get reviews when I update, meaning that it is usually the same people that are reviewing over and over, They are my most loyal fans. But I still wonder why I get such awesome reviews, but not very many at all...

Anyway, I hope you liked the fluff!

PLEASE READ and REVIEW!

Cause nobody seems to want to! :(

Please PM all of the NaruHina fans that you know, and tell them to read and review this fic!

I am starting to lose my will to write because of the lack of reviews. Although I plan on making this story go on for about 100 chapters or so with an average of 10,000 words a chapter. Plus, if people review enough, I promise that I will make a sequel, it all just depends on how many people review this story as I finish it, trying to decide if I will do it or not...

"..."

Fish Sandwiches rule!!!


	31. A Day To Socialize

**_My Heart's Lavender Eyes_**

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

**_Kyuubi_**

**Other enormous beings**

**_(Lemon)_**if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

"**_Disclaimer"_**  
I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for profit. (which I do not get by the way)

**_Chapter 31:_**

**_A Day To Socialize..._**

* * *

The sun was beginning to rise in Konoha, coming out of its hiding place behind the Hokage monument. The rays of warmth cascaded across Konoha, evaporating the morning dew from the dark green grasses that covered Konoha's lawns. As the rays of light made their way to the Hyuuga compound, hundreds of people of Hyuuga blood felt the warmth and brightness of the sun preparing them to get up and start the day. The Hyuuga compound's traditional structures were completely blank in paint. Everything was painted white that wasn't already coated in wood.

The sun's rays complemented the paint's brightness and shine.

In Hinata's room, Hinata slept peacefully in the arms of... a stuffed animal.

In reality it was Naruto. Naruto had wondered why Neji had chosen this form for him to be henged as, but decided that a stuffed animal in a girl's bed was probably considered a normal thing, so Neji's choice of henge was appropriate... But he also chose him to be a nine-tailed fox.

This bothered him, he thought it very insensitive of Neji to choose this form, especially how he is treated because of Kyuubi.

The sunlight slowly crept itself across Hinata's plush lavender carpet, making itself friendly with

Hinata's finest Kaze-cotton blankets that she slept on. The main color was lavender, which allowed some white to be pooled into the outer edges of the fabric. Her eyes facing away from the sunrise, her face nuzzled into Naruto's chest.

Naruto felt the sun hit his eyes, and grumbled that he was awoken from the best sleep he had ever had. Not once did he wake up in the middle of the night because of the nightmares he usually had to deal with. On average Naruto would wake up two or three times a night in a cold sweat. He would walk over to his sink, wash some warm water over his face to get it clean, then he would go back to sleep, hoping that it would never happen again, but deep down he knew that it would. As far back as Naruto could remember, he always had nightmares, and they haunted him with a terrible zeal. But when he slept in the same bed with Hinata, he felt at ease with her warmth and her loving, caring, breathing body.

The light that was blocked by the shades over Hinata's windows suddenly shone through with a loud snapping sound.

He didn't dare move at the sound, but he slowly turned his head to see what made the noise.

_'Oh no. No nononono No!'_ thought Naruto in horror.

Standing over Hinata's bed was none other than Hiashi Hyuuga, Lord of the Hyuugas.

Hiashi had come in and opened the blinds to wake Hinata up.

"Hinata, please it is time for you to get up, I have much I would like to discuss with you." said Hiashi.

Hiashi waited for Hinata to move or respond, but she didn't seem at all fazed by Hiashi's words.

_'Strange, she usually bolts right out of bed in response, she's never slept this deeply before...'_thought Hiashi

"Maybe it has something to do with this giant plushy..." said Hiashi.

When Hiashi mentioned Naruto's form, he began to mentally freak out, but stayed perfectly still.

Hiashi reached over to the middle of the doll, and tried to pry it from Hinata.

Unfortunately for Naruto, the first thing that Hiashi grabbed was his butt.

Naruto almost jumped out of his skin, but remembered his situation.

He stayed perfectly still.

_'Hiashi complains about his children being perverts, but he's the one grabbing another dude's butt.'_ thought Naruto as he pleaded for this horrible moment to be over.

Hiashi gave up on that, and grabbed one of Naruto's tails, and pulled hard.

When Neji had henged Naruto into this form, Naruto's tail had been used in the transformation, and was put in along with the other tails so the henge would fit with Naruto as perfectly as possible. Unfortunately for Naruto, the tail Hiashi grabbed... was his.

"Gah!" screamed Naruto in pain.

Hiashi jumped back in surprise, pulling out his kunai instantly, even though he rarely used it.

Naruto went still again. Hiashi had not noticed the plushy's movement during the scream, but now had to be sure that he didn't move, nor say another word, no matter what happened.

_'If Hiashi catches me with her, he will kill me, but even worse, he will punish Hinata! for Hinata's sake, I must not move an inch, nor speak a word.'_ thought Naruto.

Without warning, Hiashi lunged forward and stabbed the kunai into Naruto's chest.

In his mind Naruto screamed in pain, but he did not move, nor did he make a single sound despite the horrific pain.

Hiashi took the kunai out as stuffing poured out of the plushy.

Just to be absolutely sure, Hiashi jammed his kunai into the plushy again, this time in the leg.

Hiashi took the kunai and twisted it around, looking at the fox's face to see if it reacted.

There was no reaction as more and more stuffing seemed to flow out of the plushy.

_'Hm. The plushy seems to be overstuffed, I think I must be hearing things... I need more sleep.'_ concluded Hiashi.

Hiashi put his kunai away, and several Hyuuga came flying into the room.

"Is everything okay in here Hiashi-sama?" asked Neji, leader of the response unit.

"Yes, I thought that this plushy had made a noise, and I overreacted. I guess I need more sleep." said Hiashi.

The Hyuuga at the door relaxed, but Neji did not.

_'Oh crap. Naruto...'_ thought Neji, seeing the stuffing pouring out of the plushy.

Neji was horribly worried of Naruto's condition.

_'If the plushy is Naruto, and stuffing is coming out of the plushy, then...' _thought Neji in a horrible realization.

The Hyuuga response unit left, but Neji did not, Hiashi noticed this, and took advantage of Neji's usual hospitality towards Hinata.

"Neji, please help me wake my daughter, she has much to endure today." said Hiashi.

Neji nodded and walked over to Hinata and concentrated some chakra into his finger and placed his finger on Hinata's forehead.

_'I must wake her quickly so that I can help Naruto as soon as possible.'_ thought Neji hurriedly.

"If I apply a small wave of chakra to Hinata's nervous system through her brain, then theoretically it should jump start her into consciousness..." said Neji.

"Theoretically?" asked Hiashi.

Before Hiashi could say anymore, Neji sent the chakra through her brain.

Suddenly Hinata jumped up from Naruto, flailing all over the place.

While flailing around, she randomly back-handed Neji in the face knocking him backwards onto the floor.

Hinata continued to flail around randomly on the floor as Hiashi was freaking out.

"What did you do?!" shouted Hiashi angrily.

"I'm not sure!" said Neji while holding his broken nose.

"What went wrong?!" asked Hiashi as Hinata continued her random uncoordinated assault, and severely bruised Hiashi's legs several times before he could jump out of the way.

"Maybe my chakra only got to her nervous system, but didn't return to her brain, causing her to physically flip out without waking her up." suggested Neji before painfully snapping his nose back into place.

"Well, fix it!!" exclaimed Hiashi.

"I just need to stimulate the correct part of her brain..." said Neji.

_'If only I knew which part it was...'_ thought Neji.

"I will have to decide which part of her brain to stimulate by process of elimination." said Neji.

"We'll start with the anger section of her brain..." said Neji.

While Hinata was flipping around, Neji expertly targeted her brain, and hit it perfectly.

Hinata paused for a moment before an enormous wave of chakra came off of her as she stood up, angrily clenching her fists.

"HOW DARE YOU HURT MY NARUTO-KUN!!!" shouted Hinata in pure rage.

"Oh jeez!" exclaimed Neji as he thrust forward, striking her forehead again.

"Sorrow." said Neji.

Hinata then fell to her knees balling her eyes out.

"Naruto kun!!! Why d-did you h-have to d-die?! WHYYYY?!" shouted Hinata in pain.

Neji quickly struck her forehead again.

"Angst." said Neji.

"I'm fat! Nobody believes in me! Nobody loves me! My father hates me! I'm so lonely!" exclaimed Hinata as she continued to cry.

What she said struck them both very deeply that she would think that way.

"Quickly, again." said Hiashi as he inadvertently wiped a tear from his eye.

Neji nodded, mimicking Hiashi before striking her forehead again.

Suddenly Hinata jumped on Neji and began rubbing herself against him while feeling up his butt.

"Oh... Naruto..." moaned Hinata.

Suddenly Hinata frowned, and slapped Neji so hard across the face, he reeled back.

Hinata flew in and pinned him to the wall.

"You're not Naruto..." whispered Hinata venomously.

Neji quickly jabbed her in the forehead again, and she fell back onto her knees to sit on her butt.

Neji then immediately ran to the other side of the room, and emptied his stomach into her wastebasket.

After returning with the wastebasket, and laying it behind him, Neji looked as though he would be sick to his stomach again.

"What part of her brain was that!?" asked Hiashi, still partly in shock from her actions.

"P-passion..." muttered Neji.

Suddenly Neji turned around, and grabbed the wastebasket, and threw up again.

It took Neji about half a minute to recuperate.

After he finished, Hiashi looked at him questionably.

"Are you going to be okay?" asked Hiashi.

"I pray to all of the gods in heaven that I will never have to experience that _ever_ again. God, _just_ the thought of it... She's like my sister..." said Neji as he shivered in disgust.

"It's not like it was her fault..." began Hiashi.

Hiashi's fatherly instincts kicked in again as he suddenly became worried of something.

"She said Naruto's name nearly every time she had a part of her brain struck... why is that Neji?" asked Hiashi.

Neji paused for a moment before answering.

"During the mission to retrieve the Uchiha, Hinata experienced some very traumatizing events involving the death of Naruto-sama." said Neji.

Neji didn't really lie, but he didn't really answer the question either.

"Death?" asked Hiashi in confusion.

As far as the Hyuuga Lord knew, the Uzumaki was alive and well.

"She thought that he died, and that hit her very harshly." said Neji with an apathetic face.

Hiashi quieted for a moment.

_'Her first teammate death I assume... I remember how hard my first was...'_ thought Hiashi with sympathy.

Despite these emotional thoughts, Hiashi's fatherly instincts couldn't help but kick in again.

"Who's name did she say when she was on you?" asked Hiashi suddenly.

Neji immediately pictured Hinata up against him.

Neji quickly turned and dry-heaved into the wastebasket again, realizing there was nothing left to throw up. Neji then turned back to answer Hiashi.

"Nobody, it was complete gibberish..." lied Neji.

Hiashi nodded and looked back to Hinata.

"So what part did you hit the last time? She hasn't moved or said anything ever since you struck her brain when she was..." said Hiashi.

(Awkward silence)

Neji went back to the wastebasket for only a moment before turning back to Hiashi.

"The speech center of her brain..." said Neji.

Hinata just quietly sat there on her knees, her butt on her feet.

"..."

"Not very talkative is she?" asked Hiashi.

_'If you weren't such a negligent father, you would know that about her...'_ thought Neji with only partial anger.

"She usually doesn't talk much." said Neji.

"I w-wasn't aware I was s-supposed to say anything..." said Hinata suddenly.

They both looked down to Hinata as she was looking up at them with a questioning face.

"W-What are you t-two doing in my room?" asked Hinata quietly yet politely.

They both looked at her strangely.

"She's back to consciousness, hitting the speech center seems to be the right way to bring a person out of it." concluded Neji.

"Out of what?" asked Hinata, who was now suddenly worried.

"Oh nothing, you were just having a nightmare." lied Hiashi.

"Do you remember any of it?" asked Hiashi.

Neji felt as though he would throw up again.

"It was horrible, then it was worse, then it was so bad my gut hurt, then it was fantastic! But then suddenly everything was normal and I woke up sitting on the floor..." said Hinata in wonder.

Hiashi and Neji both blushed a slight amount.

_'Sitting on the floor, wasn't I sleeping with... Naruto?!'_ thought Hinata in a panic.

She stood and whipped around to see that there was nothing on her bed, just a bunch of cotton all over her sheets for some reason.

Neji realized what or rather _who _she was looking for, and he had a horrible realization.

_'He left! Shit! In the condition he must be in, he could faint at any moment from the sudden loss of blood pressure!'_ thought Neji.

"Hiashi. I must go, I have matters that must be attended to." said Neji quickly as he turned to leave.

This made Hiashi suddenly suspicious, his fatherly instincts seemed to be awakened, and he wasn't holding them back for anything.

Even if Hiashi was his uncle, he still raised him, and thought of Neji as a son, so he was naturally concerned now that his instincts had finally awakened.

"Like what?" asked Hiashi with a raised eyebrow.

Hiashi was Neji's absolute superior, he had to answer. But Neji couldn't tell him the truth, so he quickly came up with a lie.

"I have to visit Lee today, he wanted to train with me." said Neji.

Hiashi looked at Neji for a moment.

"Neji, I don't like it when you lie to me." said Hiashi as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"Now tell me the truth." said Hiashi as he opened his eyes.

_'Damn it.'_ thought Neji.

"Sorry Hiashi-sama, I just didn't want my agenda to be so personal. I have to... train my Jyuuken stance." said Neji.

"False."

"Perform a mission."

"Lying."

"Mow the lawn."

"Fibbing."

"Help the chefs."

"Prevaricating."

_'Damn it, I'm running out of excuses...'_ thought Neji.

"Wash the dog."

"...Do we even have a dog?" asked Hiashi with a raised eyebrow.

_'No, we don't have a dog... yet...'_ thought Neji, liking the idea but quickly dropping it.

_'That's it, I have to tell him something so surprising that he will hopefully drop it.'_ thought Neji.

Hiashi just stood there staring at Neji.

_'Crap! I can't think of anything!'_ thought Neji.

"Tell me the truth on the count of three." said Hiashi.

_'Oh no.'_

"One."

_'No! no!'_

"Two."

_'Crap! Anything at all! The first thing that pops into my head!' _thought Neji desperately.

"Three."

"I'M GONNA SCREW TEN TEN!!!" shouted Neji.

Neji's eyes went wide realizing the consequences of what he had just said.

Suddenly Neji turned and sprinted from the room, leaving Hiashi shocked in place.

"..."

Hinata, not being fully awake yet, warily rose to her feet, rubbing her eyes.

"W-What smells like vomit?" asked Hinata in disgust.

"Oh. I will take care of this." said Hiashi as he picked up the waste basket.

"Hinata, we have much to discuss." said Hiashi with a snap of his fingers.

A branch family member came into the room and bowed while Hiashi handed him the wastebasket.

The branch member looked painfully sad as usual, until he looked up and saw Hinata.

Unlike other Main family members, Hinata was kind to all of them. She often secretly helped them with their chores.

_'Bless her heart.'_ thought the branch member as he nodded to Hiashi before leaving with the wastebasket.

"I would like to start off by saying, that I am sorry." said Hiashi.

This surprised Hinata greatly.

Hiashi had said he was sorry before about how he was never there for her. But now he was apologizing again, something Hiashi rarely did.

"F-For what?" asked Hinata as if she didn't know.

"Please don't play dumb with me young lady. I falsely attacked one of your friends, put a bounty on his head, and tried to have him killed, all because I was angry that he kept you from coming home." said Hiashi.

Hinata stood there shocked, and didn't know what to say.

"I wanted so badly for you to come home that it clouded my mind. But that is no excuse. Even though I really did think that that boy had put you into a genjutsu of some sort, and was controlling you, I could have asked you if it was true, but I didn't. I could have apologized to you about what I did; I could have tried to make amends, and then politely asked you to come home. But I didn't. What I did was horrible, and you will never know how sorry I feel about what I did now that I have had a chance to think about it. Please, I beg your forgiveness, my daughter." said Hiashi humbly with a very small amount of tears in his eyes. He may have been emotional in his mind, but he kept as stoic as possible, not letting his tears show or drop.

Hinata almost punched herself… it was so fantastically unrealistic of her father. But it was real. He had apologized, and had begged for her forgiveness. Not just asked, but begged.

Hinata was almost speechless.

"F-father..." said Hinata quietly.

"If you can even call me that..." said Hiashi harshly as he looked away from Hinata to the floor.

"Don't say such things! You were just always busy with the clan!" insisted Hinata, not stuttering even once in her determination.

"Yes, I always am, but I could have taken the time of the day to be with my children, I could have stayed up every night and finished my work then." insisted Hiashi as he continued to observe his feet.

"Nobody could do that for very long, and you know it!" insisted Hinata.

"When I was with you, I could have given you more support, and more encouragement, instead of the cold truth of your obstacles." said Hiashi.

Hinata paused for a brief moment.

"Yes. Yes you most certainly could have." said Hinata rather harshly.

Watching his shoes was now a past-time for the Hyuuga Lord.

"When I was growing up, I felt terrible about myself because of what you always said to me instead of encouragement. I felt alone and depressed, with the weight of being the future clan leader on my shoulders alone." said Hinata with tears in her eyes just like her father.

"Hinata..."

"I was only seven!!" shouted Hinata suddenly.

Hinata face was filled with determination and years of build-up angst and anger towards her father. Hiashi could see the pain in her eyes.

"How could you push such a young child so hard without encouragement of any kind?! Most would call that inhumane!!" shouted Hinata forcefully.

Hiashi just continued staring at his feet; he knew that he deserved it. He deserved a lot more then he was getting, and he knew it, but he kept calm, and stopped the tears from leaving his eyes. But Hinata didn't make it easy on him, she continued her rage, and Hiashi was beginning to break on the inside.

"But after years of struggling to get to know you, I realized that you didn't give me encouragement, because that is the way you are. After mother's death the world must have seemed so cold, dark, and unforgivable to you. I realize now that you didn't mean to do what you did to me, you weren't even aware that you were doing it. You were too depressed with yourself and the world." said Hinata.

Hiashi was looking at Hinata in shock, he had no idea he had caused Hinata so much emotional pain by not encouraging her, he had always assumed that she would do just fine without encouragement, just as he had done growing up. And it was true, the death of his wife did make him old and bitter, but it was no excuse for him to let his bitterness drip off onto others.

"At that point in my life, back when I was young, it got so bad, that I had contemplated suicide..." said Hinata remorsefully.

Hiashi was wide-eyed in shock as tears ran down his face.

"That was... until I met Naruto." said Hinata.

"Naruto..." whispered Hiashi.

"Everyday everyone would laugh at him, throw him down, kick him, bludgeon him, and call him a monster, but he would get right back up anyways, even if it was very slowly because of the injuries. He would tell people that he would get stronger, and he did it with a smile. I realized that what I was going through was nothing compared to what he was going through, the way he was getting treated by the villagers..." said Hinata, emotionally firm.

"Just seeing him gives me the confidence to do anything. Naruto never gives up, so neither shall I. I will not give up on becoming the Clan leader, I will not give up on being a great Shinobi, and I will not... give up on my family." said Hinata as she wiped the tears from her face with a big smile.

"I forgive you father. Now please, let's start anew. We are still a family, so lets act like one." said Hinata with a confident watery eyed smiling face.

That was it. Hiashi couldn't take it anymore, all of this emotional guilt build up, then sudden relief, Hiashi just couldn't take it.

Hiashi burst into tears.

"Hinata!" shouted Hiashi as he ran over to Hinata.

Hinata met him halfway and met him in a hug.

"I am forever grateful to you, I will not mess up again... but it does not mean I will stop being a strict father-figure." said Hiashi with a smile and many tears.

"I wouldn't expect any less." said Hinata in happiness.

A dream come true, she had finally connected with her father, he now fully understood how she had felt. It was all thanks to Naruto that she had the strength and courage to say those things, as far as she was concerned, she was forever in debt to him.

Hiashi leaned back from the hug, and wiped the tears from his eyes.

_'I am definitely growing soft...'_ thought Hiashi.

He looked down to see Hinata's smiling face, something he had not been used to seeing for quite some time.

_'If that is the case, then it is for the best.'_ thought Hiashi with a nod.

"Do whatever you would like to today Hinata, I however must find Neji before he does something he will regret." said Hiashi with an actual smile as he left Hinata, still stunned but happy in her room.

Hinata turned and plopped down on her bed in pure emotional happiness.

_'Maybe now my father and I can foster the father/daughter relationship I have always wanted!'_ thought Hinata happily.

_'Things will be rough at first, and I understand that, but I will try as hard as I can to get this to fall through.'_ thought Hinata.

* * *

Neji sprinted down the streets, following the trail of stuffing that came out of Hinata's bedroom window.

_'He needs help now! There is so much stuffing! Hopefully he's going to the hospital...'_ thought Neji.

Neji stopped suddenly.

The trail of stuffing suddenly turned into blood, meaning that Naruto had dropped the henge.

_'Oh god...'_ thought Neji.

There was so much blood, it almost didn't seem like there was this much blood in one person.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!"

Neji heard a scream coming from the direction of the Hyuuga compound.

He recognized the voice of Hinata, and it didn't take much thinking to realize why she had screamed.

_'I'll tell her what happened later, right now, I need to be sure Naruto is okay.'_ thought Neji.

He continued to quickly follow the trail, staring at the ground at the blood as he ran.

(Smack!)

Neji fell backwards, spun around on his feet, maintaining a Jyuuken stance as he held onto his nose which was broken again.

Neji grabbed his nose and snapped it back into place with a painful crack.

"Gah!" exclaimed Neji briefly.

He had to endure the pain, there might be a life at stake.

He looked up to see the person he had run into.

"Neji what are you doing? It's not like you to not pay attention to your..." began Lee as Neji whipped past him.

Lee quickly caught up to him.

With Lee running next to Neji, most that knew him would think that Lee was merely jogging, even though Neji was running as fast as he could.

"Is there somewhere important we are going?" asked Lee with a smile.

"Naruto is injured, have you seen him?" asked Neji quickly.

Lee suddenly got serious.

"No, I have not, what happened?" asked Lee with a frown.

"I'll tell you later, right now, we need to get Naruto to the hospital." said Neji.

"Right." said Lee with a determined thumbs up.

Suddenly Neji stopped.

"What is wrong Neji?" asked Lee.

"Naruto's trail of blood goes right at this fork in the road, which heads to the Hokage Tower, but the hospital is the other way." said Neji.

"You are right, it doesn't make any sense." said Lee.

They continued to follow the trail at a brisk pace, regardless of where it went. As far as they were concerned, it went to Naruto.

_'Why not go to the hospital? The best and fastest way to get medical attention is through the Konoha Hospital's emergency medical bay... It just doesn't make any sense.'_ thought Neji carefully.

Neji looked over to Lee, who was determined to accomplish his new task.

_'Lee is always willing to help his friends... its nice to see someone who cares.'_ thought Neji with a slight smile despite the situation, nearly bumping into people as the density of people increased as they ran.

Neji realized that there were more people probably because they were heading into the market district. A they sped through the Market district, following Naruto's blood, which dripped along the ground. And based on how Naruto's blood was splattered among the ground, he was moving quite quickly, but was beginning to slow down since the blood was beginning to thicken in its amount.

As they quickened their pace into the Market district, a section that was rather large compared to the rest of the shopping district. In through the food district, near a pub, they noticed a crowd of people gathered around something on the floor.

Neji and Lee pushed through the crowd, to see what they were all gathered around.

There in the middle of the group, on the ground, was Naruto's pants, covered in blood.

"..."

"Well, we can rule in the possibility that Naruto did not go to the hospital because he is streaking..." said Neji.

(Crowd sweatdrop)

Lee grabbed the pants, folded them, and gave it to Neji. Neji took them from Lee, and stuffed it into his weapons pouch.

As Neji stuffed the pants into his pouch, Lee's face suddenly brightened up.

"Maybe he went to Tsunade to get himself healed! Remember Neji? She healed my injuries with her special medical jutsu all those years ago!" exclaimed Lee in excitement that maybe he had thought of the solution.

"Maybe, but it is highly illogical. Tsunade is the Hokage, she almost always has a full schedule, it would be highly inefficient to try and wait for an appointment with her to fall through, sometimes an appointment can take a week or so." said Neji.

Lee's smile went to a frown, and they both went back to thinking.

They arrived at the Hokage tower, and the trail of blood, just as predicted by Lee, went into the tower's front doors.

Neji and Lee ran in past the receptionist, and to the elevator.

"Can I help you gentleman with something?! You can't see the Hokage without an appointment!" exclaimed the receptionist.

The elevator doors opened, and they both got in.

"Sorry! There is a life at stake!" exclaimed Lee as the doors closed, leaving the receptionist in a shocked state of wonder.

As they stood in the elevator listening to Green Sleeves, Lee turned to Neji.

"Why did we take the elevator? We could have just jumped in though her window. It only would have taken a few seconds..." said Lee suddenly.

Neji smacked his hand to his forehead and hung his head with his eyes shut.

"Oh God damn it..." muttered Neji in frustration.

Neji opened his eyes to see a large pool of blood in the elevator, covering the bottom of his feet.

"..."

"He took the elevator too..." said Lee.

"Look at all of that blood, anybody else but Naruto would probably be dead by now." commented Neji in astonishment.

"He must have several main blood veins opened. This rate of bleeding is too high to be normal bleeding." commented Lee.

(Greensleeves continued to play)

"..."

"ARE WE EVEN MOVING?!" shouted Neji.

The doors suddenly opened as though responding to Neji's frustration.

Without hesitation, Lee and Neji rushed from the elevator and down the hall to see a chunnin guard blocking the entrance to Tsunade's office.

The Chunnin had one arm cast on, one leg cast, and multiple glass cuts.

"Out of the way!" shouted Neji.

The Chunnin flinched and immediately dived out of the way of the two stampeding Konoha nin, flying out of the window during his dive.

They both calmly stopped before getting to the door, long before they would have reached the guard.

Lee and Neji sweat dropped as they looked out of the window to see that the Chunnin had landed safely on a stand filled with fruit.

"Oh god damn it!! I move to the Hokage tower for safety, and someone falls on my stand out of a window! I move over a window, and it happens again! Then I finally move to the back of the frickin tower, hoping it is safer, but NO!" ranted the fruit salesman.

Lee and Neji were forced to ignore him because of their worry for Naruto's safety.

Neji turned on his Byakugan to a horrible scene.

Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Shizune were all leaned over Naruto, giving him medical attention.

Naruto was hooked up to several life-support systems which were all marked by Tsunade's Sannin slug stamp, signifying that it was her special equipment.

He looked to the floor to see there was a pool of blood so large that one would assume he was already dead.

Jiraiya seemed to be scribing some sort of seals, while Tsunade's hands hovered over Naruto's body, repairing cellular damage. Shizune was on standby, ready to give Tsunade anything she needed for Naruto's treatment.

While Neji looked with his Byakugan, Lee knocked on the door very loudly to be sure that he was heard.

Suddenly the door opened very quickly. Lee sidestepped it, but Neji was hit directly in the face and he was sent backwards onto his butt, gripping his now broken nose.

"God! fucking whore! Bitch ass! Jack hole! (Censored)(Censored)(Censored)" shouted Neji in frustration to a very surprised Shizune who was standing at the door.

She was thrown quite off guard from the greeting of loud swearing.

Neji stood up, and crack his nose back into place. He reached over to Lee, and grabbed his ear.

Neji took his ear and pulled it up and down.

Lee's eye widened and his back stiffened.

Every time Neji pulled his ear back down, Lee's arm bandages unraveled slightly by a few inches.

Neji did that a few times, then ripped off some of the bandages and stuffed it up his nose to stop the bleeding, then he let go of Lee's ear, allowing Lee to go back into his normal stance.

"..."

"How did you do that?" asked Lee finally in surprise.

"Never mind that! Where is Naruto?!" asked Neji hurriedly.

Shizune had a look of surprise, but with a nod grabbed them both and hurried them into  
Tsunade's office.

Naruto was still laying on the floor in a large pool of blood, the two wounds very deep, and very apparent, his legs wore nothing but horribly bloodied boxers. He was finally unconscious from the drop in blood pressure, and Tsunade was leaning over him swearing up a storm.

"God! Fucking whore! Bitch ass! Jack hole! (Censored)(Censored)(Censored)" shouted Tsunade as she was doing her best to heal him with her medical ninjutsu.

"That's what I said." said Neji.

Tsunade turned to Shizune with a horribly angry face.

"What are those two doing in here?!" shouted Tsunade angrily.

Shizune, being used to Tsunade yelling, answered her immediately.

"These two might know what happened to Naruto!" exclaimed Shizune just as quickly.

Tsunade did not stop from using her healing jutsu at any point. Her hands glowing with a strange glowing green chakra as she snapped her head over to the two.

"What happened here?! Did you two do this?!" asked Tsunade angrily, her killing intent flowing off of her, causing the two to get very nervous.

"I-I don't know!" exclaimed Lee, desperately hoping Neji would answer for him.

Tsunade attention was now fully on Neji, causing his body to feel very heavy from the killing intent.

"My father..." began Neji before being abruptly cut off.

"THAT EGOTISTICAL BASTARD!!! WHEN I AM THROUGH HERE, HE IS GOING TO BE KILLED _WITHOUT_ TRIAL!!!" shouted Tsunade.

After the trial with Hiashi and Naruto, she had hoped that Hiashi would cool off, but he apparently didn't if he did this.

Neji rushed to the Hokage's side very quickly and began to whisper in her ear what had happened.

Neji's stoic and calm expression present on his face did calm her down a bit from the stress of it all, but even after he had explained it wasn't Hiashi's fault, she was still mad at Hiashi for doing this. Neji left out the parts about Naruto and Hinata being together, but not about them sharing a bed. Neji talked loud enough for everyone to hear, but it was mostly directed at Tsunade.

_'Hinata-sama has the right to her own privacy, so I will not tell anyone of their... relationship... unless Naruto was just fooling around with Hinata in her sleep, and he was just taking advantage of her!'_ thought Neji in a rage.

Neji would have slammed Naruto up against a wall to interrogate him, but his rage died realizing that Naruto was already very badly bled out.

Seeing that they had shared a bed before Tsunade assumed that Naruto was horribly dense and thought nothing of once again sleeping in the same bed as Hinata. After Neji finished, even though it wasn't Hiashi's fault, she was still going to do something about it.

"I'm still going to let him know the horrible thing he did to Naruto..." muttered Tsunade.

"NO!" shouted Neji and Jiraiya, leaving everyone else to look at them strangely.

"What? Why the hell not?" asked Tsunade.

"(Sigh)"

"I would think that the Hokage would have better analytical skills. Don't you see? I only heard the tale once, and I made the connection..." said Jiraiya impatiently.

After getting nothing but a confused and angry face in response, Neji explained for him.

"If you tell Hiashi that he stabbed Naruto, he will in turn learn that Naruto had PURPOSELY slept with Hinata." said Neji.

Tsunade nodded, realizing she could have screwed Naruto over if she told Hiashi...

"Well, if Naruto was stabbed, and Hinata was with him, then why isn't Hinata here?" asked Tsunade.

Neji remembered Hinata's scream.

"Sorry, but I have something that needs attending to." said Neji quickly as he sprinted out of her office.

As Neji left, his robe slapped the side of the door as he took the turn as sharp as possible.

She remembered a robe like that very clearly in her memory, it mostly reminded her of Daishi's robe, which partially draped itself onto Hinata when she was sitting with him.

Tsunade remembered all too well how close Hinata was sitting to Daishi during Naruto's trial.

_'The last I saw of either Naruto or Hinata, they had an argument. Maybe Hinata slept with Naruto just to appease him for a while, while running off to that Daishi jerk! I can't believe she would do such a thing! I thought Hinata loved Naruto more than anything... But if so, why isn't she here? Doesn't she care anymore?'_ thought Tsunade angrily yet sadly as she kept up her healing.  
Neji was wondering similar things.

_'If Hinata saw the blood, she would come running, following the trail as fast as she could. Especially after she realized it was Naruto, so why aren't I at least meeting her on the way back?'_ thought Neji.

He reached the Hyuuga district within 10 minutes, and jumped over the Hyuuga gate, the guards nodding to him as he landed in the lawn. Neji ran to the front door, opened it and rushed down the main corridor.

_'Then again, she probably fainted from the sight of so much blood appearing like that. Even some of the toughest Shinobi would have a problem with that...'_ thought Neji, shuddering when he thought of Naruto's vulnerable form, which reminded him of Hinata's.

Neji was running back to the Hyuuga household as fast as he could. He knew that in Hinata's unconscious state, she would be vulnerable.

_'Or as Hiashi would put it, she could get_ tainted _by one of the less trustworthy Hyuugas, like that damn Daishi...'_ thought Neji with a frown.

_'If I find anyone has done anything to her...'_ thought Neji as his emotions began to slightly rage.

He whipped into the kitchen and immediately smashed into somebody that walked into his path at the worst possible time... when he was sprinting at full speed.

Neji and the person he smashed into, tumbled down the hall violently, and Neji ended up on top of the person after their heads smashed into the far wall of the kitchen, bringing them to a painful stop.

(Creeeeeeeeeeak)

_'What was that?'_ thought Neji.

He looked up to see that it wasn't a wall that had stopped them, it was a fridge, which was now tipping over.

_'Oh for the love of_...'

(Smash!!!)

The fridge, door remaining closed, pinned Neji on top of this person. Based on the person's figure, she was a fully developed female, and based on her pattern of breathing, she was still conscious.

Neji used the tenketsu on his back to shoot a quick wave of chakra out, to push the fridge back to where it was supposed to be.

Neji quickly stood to help the person up.

Before he could help her, Neji realized that he used too much chakra, and the fridge hit the wall before righting itself, causing the door to open, and a bowl of chocolate pudding fell onto the person still laying on the floor.

(Splat!)

Neji never got a proper look at the woman, and now because of the pudding covering her, he really couldn't tell either way.

Neji chucked a bit as he kneeled down to help her up.

He extended his hand for her to grab, but before she could grab it a baseball bat fell from the top shelf and nailed Neji in the head with a resounding clang of metal against his skull.

"Gah jeez!" exclaimed Neji as he rubbed his head in pain.

"Who put a baseball bat in the fridge?!" exclaimed Neji while rubbing his head.

Neji thought for a moment.

"..."

"Hanabi!" shouted Neji in realization.

"Sorry!" slurred Hanabi meekly from her room.

Neji was going to have a good talk to her about her drinking, but he heard Hanabi's room door lock.

_'Well, aside from Hanabi, I have two girls to look after right now...'_ thought Neji.

He lifted the pudding covered girl off of the ground and handed her a towel that was hanging on the fridge door, which he shut.

"Here. Sorry about running into you, and the pudding." said Neji as he handed her the towel

The woman took the towel, and wiped off her face, revealing beautiful brown eyes that Neji would immediately recognize anywhere.

"Ten Ten?" asked Neji.

Ten Ten smiled and continued wiping off the pudding from her face.

"Wow, my greatest dream come true, Ten Ten covered in chocolate..." muttered Neji with a blush and slight nosebleed.

"What was that honey?" asked Ten Ten.

"Oh nothing..." said Neji.

Neji moved forward licked a large portion of pudding off of her face, making her blush.

"You are so delicious..." said Neji playfully.

Ten Ten blushed deeply, and kissed him on the lips, allowing him to enter her mouth as they both moaned in ecstasy into each-others throats.

"AHEM!!!" exclaimed a voice from the corridor.

There standing in the corridor was Hiashi.

Neji immediately jumped away from Ten Ten, wide-eyed and desperately seeking for a way out of the situation.

"We weren't doing anything!" exclaimed Neji.

_'Oh yeah, totally believable.'_ thought Ten Ten sarcastically.

"Then why are you both covered in pudding?" asked Hiashi with his arms crossed.

"Uh, um... oh, well.... we thought uh..." stuttered Neji, trying to think of something to say.

"We spilled some pudding, and we were trying to clean it up." said Ten Ten quickly.

"With your tongues?" asked Hiashi skeptically.

They both blushed.

"It is the truth." insisted Neji.

"Then why are your pants off?" asked Hiashi

"..."

"Um... I like pudding?" said Neji.

Hiashi raised an eyebrow.

"Alot..." finished Neji.

"..."

Ten Ten smacked her hand to her forehead at Neji's inability to come up with good excuses.

Neji quickly pulled up his pants and gave Ten Ten a look.

Ten Ten blushed, she honestly didn't mean to, it was in the heat of the moment.

"Neji." said Hiashi as he put his hand on Neji's shoulder.

"We need to have a talk." said Hiashi seriously.

Neji gulped and looked into Hiashi's serious fatherly eyes, filled with emotion and caring. It reminded him of a certain Hyuuga girl, whom he was supposed to be checking up on.

"In a little bit, I have to make sure that Hinata is alright, she probably fainted and..." began Neji as he was cut off.

"I know, I took care of it. She did faint, and she is fine. She is taking a nap on her newly refurbished bed." said Hiashi.

"I am not sure how or why, but there was a large amount of blood on her sheets, and from what I could tell, it wasn't hers. So somebody got into her room, and bled out a lot onto her bed. I called the emergency ANBU, and they are analyzing the blood on her sheets to find the perpetrator." said Hiashi with great worry.

_'It doesn't make any sense for someone to do that... probably just some freak. I will be sure that it never happens again.'_ thought Hiashi.

_'Well, it's a good thing that ANBU report directly to Tsunade, otherwise this would be bad...'_ thought Neji in slight relief, though he doubted he was going to get the same luck with Hiashi.

As Hiashi led him into the corridor, Neji noticed guards standing outside of her door, both looking very serious.

Neji was lead into another room, and before Hiashi closed the door to lock them in, he turned to Ten Ten.

"I like you, and I highly approve of you, I have known you for years now, and I know you will be perfect for Neji... But right now, it would be best if you went home." said Hiashi with a surprisingly softened face.

Ten Ten could only nod in surprise as Hiashi closed the door, and locked it, leaving her shocked.

_'In all of the years I've known Hiashi, of all of the times he's invited me in on the grounds that I was a comrade, he never really showed me any kind of kindness or emotion, but just now... He was actually... emotional.'_ thought Ten Ten.

After much hesitation at leaving Neji alone, Ten Ten finally left the Hyuuga compound, nodding back at the guards at the gates, who smiled at her as she left. She knew the guards very well after all of the years of having to go through them to see Neji.

_'I hope he will be alright...'_ thought Ten Ten with worry as she headed back to her father's shop.

* * *

Her skin felt cold against the air, it seemed despairingly different than before. Before this feeling of cold, she was content, she was happy, she was complete for once in her life. But now, all she felt was cold uncertainty and loneliness.

_'What happened yesterday...'_ thought Hinata.

She suddenly remembered what had happened. The trial, the kiss, her father.

It seemed so good that it was like one of her dreams...

Hinata woke with a start and quickly sat up in bed. Without looking, she practically whipped her hand onto the bed on her left to see if he was still there. Feeling nothing but fabric, she quickly turned to see what she had dreaded to see the second she woke up. Naruto was not there. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes, and she threw herself against her bed face first and began to cry. She cursed herself, cried, cried, cursed herself, then cried some more.

"Why?! Why god damn it why?!" exclaimed Hinata quietly and painfully through her teeth, the cold truth hurting her more than a kunai to her heart, which is practically what it felt like.

_'It was all just a dream. It was all just a dream AGAIN!!!'_ thought Hinata in despair.

This wasn't the first time that Hinata had a wonderful dream, then awoken to the cold and empty truth.

This dream seemed so real though, Naruto confessed his love for her, her father was on good terms with her, and they had deeply connected. It was the best dream yet, but the better the dream, the harsher reality seemed once she awoke.

_'Naruto was mine, he loved me, and so did my father...'_ thought Hinata as tears poured out of her eyes, she clenched them shut, along with her hands.

She didn't know how much more mental abuse she could take.

_'Stop fucking with me!!!'_ thought Hinata as she tightly grabbed her head in the pain of the truth.

_'Naruto doesn't love me, and neither does my father, it is all a fantasy, a dream. The sooner I accept that, the less painful it will be.'_ thought Hinata.

_'Naruto... doesn't love me...'_ thought Hinata.

Hinata harshly fell back down into her pillow, and bawled her eyes out.

After 10 minutes or so, when she didn't have any more tears to cry, Hinata got up from bed, and felt so alone. More alone than ever before. She had dreamed real love. It seemed so real, she could practically feel it radiating off of Naruto when they merely touched. But it was all fake, it was all just false hopes and never to be fulfilled dreams.

She knew it was too good to be true.

Her heart felt broken, she knew that only one person could heal it, but she knew that one person, was entirely out of her reach.

_'He will never see me as a woman, as one he can love... he will only see me as a friend, as a comrade.'_ thought Hinata as she instinctively wiped her eyes, even though there were no more tears left to shed.

As her sleeve wiped across her face, she felt the tenderness of her skin around her eyes, and her eyelids. It hurt when she touched them because of the crying.

Hinata walked out passed the guards, and began to wander, not caring where she should go, or where she was heading.

She just had to walk.

_'I just need to accept it. Naruto will never feel the same way, he will never love me, he will never see in me what I see in him.'_ thought Hinata bitterly.

She felt like the world was over, she felt as though she had no reason to exist. The man who had stolen her heart, couldn't give it back. He wasn't even aware that she existed, that she was sure of at this point.

Hinata mindlessly wandered Konoha, just trying to get a grip.

But she couldn't. Naruto was her grip, Naruto was her life, Naruto was her only love, Naruto... was never going to be hers.

Hinata opened her watery eyes to see that she had somehow wandered herself to the Hokage's office door, there didn't seem to be anyone guarding it for some reason, but regardless, she walked in.

She saw that Tsunade was at her desk, and that the floor seemed to be wet, the entire room smelling of lemons, but with a strong scent of iron.

She walked forward and stopped in front of Tsunade desk.

Tsunade had her hands covering her eyes, with her elbows resting on the desk. She looked very depressed about something, but Hinata didn't care, she was experiencing too much pain to care about anything else.

"What do you want Hinata?" asked Tsunade in a monotone voice, not even bothering to look up from her hands.

"Naruto." said Hinata truthfully.

Tsunade looked up at Hinata in surprise at her response. But Tsunade was even more surprised when she saw Hinata's face. It wasn't blushing or looking at the floor in mention of Naruto's name like usual, but instead, her face was depressed, and she looked absolutely dreadful. Her eyes were all red and puffed up from crying, her hair wasn't kept, it seemed like she didn't even care about her appearance.

"Hinata... Are you okay? What happened?" asked Tsunade in worry.

Hinata looked up into Tsunade's face, her eyes still red from the tears.

"N-Nothing new... b-but I'm not ok-kay..." whispered Hinata.

Tsunade's eyes widened for a second before her face returned to it's normal calm and collective expression.

"Want to talk about it?" asked Tsunade.

To Tsunade's disappointment, Hinata shook her head no.

"I just want a m-mission to keep my m-mind off of s-something." said Hinata quietly.

Tsunade took one look at her and smirked on the outside, but on the inside she was raging.

_'Naruto!!! He broke her heart, and it's horribly obvious!!! I don't care what I have to do to the kid, he's going to pay for breaking such a sweet girl's heart! Just look at her! She's at her wit's end!'_thought Tsunade.

Hinata, seeing the Hokage's smirk, looked at her questionably.

"Keep your mind off of _something_ huh? Don't you mean _someone_?" asked Tsunade.

Hinata stared down at her shoes.

_'How did she...'_ thought Hinata.

Hinata fell to her knees, and began sobbing, surprising the Hokage.

Tsunade jumped over her desk and landed to Hinata's side.

_'Crap, maybe I shouldn't have said anything!...No. This needs to be confronted, she seems to be torturing herself with something or somethings that have happened to her, and she is constantly reminding herself of how horrible that something is...'_ thought Tsunade.

She patted Hinata on her back, giving her words of comfort and telling her to calm down, that everything would be alright.

_'Or maybe I'm just spending too much time around that analytic Kakashi...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Hinata, you have to tell me what's wrong..." said Tsunade.

Hinata just kept sobbing, but in between sobs, she spoke.

"(Choke)Naruto...(Sob)Will...(Cries)Never...(Sobs)"

Tsunade sat there, comforting Hinata, waiting for her to finish what she hoped she wasn't about to say.

"(Sobs)Love...(Breaths deeply)Me..." sobbed Hinata, losing her mind over the pain she felt in her heart.

Tsunade's eyes widened and she clenched her fists tightly, cracking her knuckles.

_'Damn that brat!!! Damn him to hell! Look what he did! He must have turned her down!!! It doesn't make any sense! He said before that he loved her! Why the hell would he do this!? Arrrrgh! If I would have known he had done this, I wouldn't have healed him! I bet Hiashi stabbed him because Naruto did that to his daughter! And if that's the case, then, I can't believe I'm thinking this but, go Hiashi!!!'_ thought Tsunade in a confused rage.

Tsunade was tensed up on the inside but showed nothing but happiness on the outside.

"Don't worry about a thing honey, let me have a talk with the boy." said Tsunade confidently.

Hinata gasped.

Hinata was distraught, not deaf.

"What?! N-no!" exclaimed Hinata, ripping herself back into sanity.

She just wanted to have some relief, she didn't want Tsunade telling Naruto about her feelings for him!

"Tsunade! P-please don't tell him!!!" exclaimed Hinata desperately.

"Too late now honey, he's got what's coming to him." said Tsunade with a smirk.

_'She doesn't want me to tell him that she has taken it so hard, but I have to use it against him. I hope he feels like crap after I tell him.'_ thought Tsunade.

Tsunade suddenly disappeared in a shunshin, leaving a disbelieving Hinata gaping at the space the Hokage used to occupy.

"(Screeeeeeeeech!!!!!) Gahhhhh!!! Tsunade's going to tell him how I feel!!! I never should have let her know my secret!! She's going to tell him how I fantasize about him being my foxy sex toy that I can cuddle and love!!!" shouted Hinata as she shunshined from the room in a panic.

Shizune, on the other side of the room, stood there with her mouth agape.

"F-foxy what?!" exclaimed Shizune.

"Wow, that is kinky. Even for me." said Kakashi with his only visible eye as wide as Shizune's.

(Silence)

"Am I too analytic?" asked Kakashi.

Shizune paused for a moment.

"What toothpaste did you use this morning?" asked Shizune.

"Well, I used Ningate which is a professional strength paste intended for the treatment and prevention of dental caries. It comes in two strengths: 2800 and over 5000. The toothpaste is ideal for the management of high-risk patients such as those with rampant, early, existing or recurrent coronal or root caries..." began Kakashi.

"Yes, you are too analytic." said Shizune bluntly.

* * *

Naruto was still in the hospital, and for unknown reasons when he woke up, he was chained down to his bed.

He noticed that his pants were warmer then they should been, it was like they just came out of the dryer. In fact they felt cleaner than normal as well, and they smelled heavily of laundry detergent.

_'When did my pants get back on? I thought they fell off when my blood made the waistline too slippery. When that happened, they fell to my knees, and I tripped and fell somewhere near the marketplace...'_ thought Naruto.

He remembered getting to Tsunade, but not getting his pants back.

_'I'll just retrace my steps... Okay, the blood trail goes from Tsunade's office, to Hinata's room...'_ thought Naruto as he was struck with a realization.

_'Gah! I got to get out of here! I have to see Hinata!'_ thought Naruto.

Ever since he admitted to Hinata that he loved her, he had been craving to see her. Like an itch that wouldn't go away, but Hinata would always be an itch that he loved to scratch.

"I've got to get out of here." said Naruto.

Naruto got up from the bed, and broke the chains like butter.

He walked over to the window, and jumped down to the ground, only to have Tsunade appear in front of him in a shunshin.

"Oh Tsunade! I'm glad I found you, I wanted to thank you for healing me. If it wasn't for you, Hiashi's stabs would have killed me!" exclaimed Naruto with a smile.

_'So it WAS Hiashi...' _thought Tsunade.

"And why did he stab you?" asked Tsunade calmly.

"Oh! Before you go and punish Hiashi, don't. It wasn't his fault, he thought I was an intruder in his home, and he didn't know it was me anyway, I was henged." said Naruto, hoping he could convince her to leave him alone.

_'He may be a mean old man as far as I can see, but even I can tell that he has enough to deal with as it is. In fact, I'm not so surprised he went cuckoo and tried to kill me. The stress of his job must be monstrous!'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto's thoughts were those of sympathy, but Tsunade's were those of a vengeful anger.

_'A likely story, you little heart breaking liar!'_ thought Tsunade bitterly.

"Oh don't worry about Hiashi, I wasn't going to punish him, I was going to thank him." said Tsunade.

"Thank him, for what?" asked Naruto.

"He deserves the first assault after all!!!" shouted Tsunade as she threw a punch at Naruto's head.

Naruto ducked, and rolled around Tsunade, whipping himself around to face her.

Tsunade missed punch caused wind to be whipped against the hospital wall, harshly blowing the grass on the way, showing the sheer power behind the throw.

"What are you talking about?! And what was that for?!" asked Naruto in confusion.

"After what you did to Hinata, you deserve to suffer." said Tsunade.

Tsunade went to throw another punch, but before she did, she stopped.

The look on Naruto's face was now dark and cold instead of surprised.

Those words were all too familiar to Naruto, but he never expected them to come from Tsunade.

"Suffer? You don't think I've suffered enough?" asked Naruto calmly.

Tsunade dropped her fists in surprise.

He was mad, and he was going to unload. And when Naruto unloaded,_ he unloaded_.

"When I was six, I was starving to death because nobody would sell food to me. When I went into a store, they would beat me with whatever at hand, and sometimes they would even try to stab me, most of the time being successful and drawing my blood. All the explanation I ever got was that I was a demon." said Naruto, giving Tsunade a hard cold look.

"I didn't do anything wrong, but the way people acted, after about a year of torture from them, I began to think otherwise." said Naruto as he held a cold statuesque stance.

"On my seventh birthday, seeing that nobody acknowledged me unless they were trying to kill me, I spent it alone in my apartment room. So, as I sat there in darkness, I gave myself a birthday present, the best anyone could have given me at that point." said Naruto.

Tsunade was giving him a mixed look of guilt, sorrow, and confusion.

"I tried to commit suicide." said Naruto emotionlessly.

Tsunade gasped and put her hands up to cover her mouth.

"I drank all of the rat poison I could find, and slit my wrists..." began Naruto.

Tsunade shook her head, wanting the images she imagined of him in her mind to go away.

"As I sat on my bed, waiting to die, I found that I couldn't, something kept the poison from effecting me, and my cuts healed very rapidly. Back then I didn't know that it was Kyuubi that healed me, so I chalked it up to God even hating me, wanting me to suffer even more for my mere existence." said Naruto.

"S-Stop..." whispered Tsunade. as she shook her head, her tears falling from her face.

"So I tried every method I knew there was to committing suicide. I slit my throat, and hung myself from the banisters. I drank drain cleaner, and gouged my eye with a fork. I even started myself on fire and slammed my head against the wall several times, hoping that one of the hits would be fatal concussion. I realize now, that those particular attempts were stupid, but I was young back then. I just wanted the pain to end. But, Kyuubi healed my wounds, even faster then before. I know now that Kyuubi had caught on that I was trying to kill us, so he sped up the healing process, healing my cuts, wounds, poison, and broken neck before they could even effect me." said Naruto solemnly.

"Please stop..." whispered Tsunade as she grabbed her head with her hands, shaking it back and forth to try and get rid of the horrible images, but they just kept coming.

"I eventually gave up and cried, hoping by some miracle that I would die by dehydration from so many tears shed. I also knew that it wouldn't happen, so I was forced to live in a world where everyone despised me, giving me a hard time and pushing me down no matter how hard I tried. And even while I was down trying to get back up, they would beat me until I was black and blue all over, but even then I still tried, knowing that If I couldn't die, I might as well try my hardest to live. Whenever people gave me a hard time, I would smile at them and try harder. The smile I showed was always fake, just a mask I wore to make it appear as though their looks and actions didn't bother me. I used this mask on you multiple times... I remember." said Naruto nostalgically.

Tsunade was crying while Naruto stood calmly.

"Many years ago, you told me that my success rate records were terrible, and that anyone else's was better then mine. On the outside I was pouting to you, but on the inside, I felt terrible." said Naruto.

Tsunade fell to her knees holding her head.

"Naruto please stop!!!" shouted Tsunade, tears flowing very rapidly.

Naruto had started going on this, and had no intention of stopping until he had said what he wanted to say.

"You told me my records were the worst, despite how hard I was trying, trying to succeed, to survive, just trying to live. So when you told me that I was bad at being a ninja, you were basically telling me that I sucked at living, and that I needed to try harder. That night, I used a kunai to tear apart my digestive track as I shoved it into my stomach, making sure that the Kyuubi went with me. But, my wounds healed just like always, and I showed up for work like nothing happened the next day." said Naruto.

Tsunade was now sobbing, pulling at her hair to the guilt to go away, she remembered that day all too vividly, but he seemed just fine in her memories. But now she knew that it was just because of the fake mask he wore.

"I shouldn't have been so damn depressed. My will to live and try as hard as I can was, and always is strong. But after I lost my brother-figure, that was the last straw I suppose. Even though I tried my hardest to bring Sasuke back, it wasn't enough, and Sakura hated me for it. My brother left me, my sister hated me, and I was a failure. All of it on record, there to laugh at my face. And when you showed it to me, and said that my efforts were laughable, I guess I just broke down." said Naruto, thinking deeply.

"That mission you assigned me on was to get the Bikouchu. To get my brother back. I was depressed, but I went regardless. I was only twelve, still weak in the mind a bit, and my will of fire was weak, but I tried anyway. It was just another deluded attempt to bring back Sasuke, but I didn't care, I just wanted to do well on a mission for once." said Naruto.

"But when I went on that mission to get the Bikouchu, I realized that my sight and grasp on life was deluded and cold. Hinata reminded me that my reason to live was stronger than ever before, and all Hinata had to do was encourage me." said Naruto with a smile that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Tsunade looked up at Naruto from the ground in surprise.

"Whether she realized it or not, she reminded me that even though I messed up, I was a success as long as I was trying my absolute best. If my best wasn't good enough, I would train until it was. During the mission, when I did something wrong, Kiba would throw it in my face, and Shino would bluntly inform me of my abnormalities, but Hinata... she encouraged me no matter what I did, she refueled my will to keep going. Ever since then, when I felt as though my life was hard, and that I was a failure, I would picture Hinata cheering me on, encouraging me that everything was alright, and that I was great. It would remind me that life is always worth living. Somehow I had forgotten that, but Hinata reminded me of what is important in life. I remembered that I was and am still completely committed to doing my best, becoming Hokage, and protecting my friends and precious people."

Tsunade didn't know what to say.

"The entire time I was on the training mission with Jiraiya, I thought about her kind words all of the time, her image is what kept me going most of this time, jump starting all my other happy memories with my friends that supported me and cared for me. Hinata was really the first one to ever give me words of true encouragement, even when things seemed bleak to me. But I've never told Hinata that, I figured someone of her status wouldn't care of such remedial things, so I've kept it to myself until now. So, once you collect yourself enough to tell me what I did wrong, I will accept a punishment that I deserve." finished Naruto calmly as he turned and began to walk a few feet away from the crying Tsunade.

"Hinata re-awoke my will of fire. It was almost completely snuffed out, but thanks to Hinata, my friends, and my will of fire, I will NEVER think that way again." said Naruto as he stopped to look back at Tsunade.

"And by the way, I would NEVER do ANYTHING to hurt Hinata... EVER." added Naruto.

And with that, after his long-winded speech, he disappeared in a shunshin.

In Naruto's place, Hinata appeared in a shunshin, looking around wildly for Tsunade, but when she found her, she didn't find what she had expected. Her Hokage was on the ground sobbing.

"I... I could have done something... but I didn't... I just didn't... I didn't know..." whispered Tsunade to herself.

"Tsunade-sama!" exclaimed Hinata.

She ran over to her, and kneeled down next to her.

Tsunade had to talk to somebody about the grief she was experiencing, she had to let it out to someone.

Tsunade turned and cried into Hinata's shoulder, telling her everything that Naruto had said about Hinata, and how he had been inspired by her.

After embracing Hinata, she remembered just how bad of shape Hinata was in, so she didn't want to drop this extra stress on her, so she would have to drop it on Shizune later.

_'I have to give her a raise...'_ thought Tsunade.

Hinata somehow felt the situation was horribly backwards when it first started, a few minutes ago, Tsunade was helping and reassuring _her_, but now it was the other way around. By the time Tsunade had finished telling her, Hinata was completely shocked and dumb-founded. She almost absolutely couldn't believe it.

Naruto being inspired by her was a complete impossibility in her mind. It was the other way around. She was the one inspired by him. It had to be a lie, but the Hokage wouldn't lie to anybody in the village in a million years. Especially something that would bring no gain to the Slug Princess by doing so.

_'Naruto... Inspired by... me?'_thought Hinata.

Her mind was set. She had to know the truth.

She patted Tsunade on the back, and told her everything would be alright.

After she was sure that Tsunade was breathing normally again, she left in a hurry.

She followed Naruto's chakra signature, the only signature she knew by heart.

She usually couldn't track him from a very far distance, but she could actually feel him across town. He was definitely at the Konoha park.

She jumped from rooftop to rooftop, getting nearer and nearer to her target.

As she ran she felt herself becoming very tired, so she forced herself to slow down her pace.

_'It's happening again...'_ thought Hinata tiredly.

Ever since that weird spike of chakra that Naruto emitted during his transformation, she felt strangely more powerful than before. But recently, she had been feeling chronically fatigued.

She chalked it up to the stress going on to her right now. Maybe her mind was beginning to affect her body.

Hinata was getting close, she could clearly see the park from where she was.

She stopped at the last building across the street from the Park, and dropped down into the alley in between the buildings.

She peeked around the corner to see Naruto sitting on a park bench, facing away from her.

She blushed deeply and ducked back into the alley.

She realized that now that she had actually seen him, nearly all of her courage left her.

_'This is going to be harder than I thought.'_ thought Hinata with a blush.

She turned back around the corner to look at him again.

His golden hair flowing from beneath his hat, his beautiful blue eyes looking to his right at a flock of birds in a tree, his finely toned muscles shown from his rolled up sleeves.

She blushed amorously.

"It doesn't make any sense, why would Naruto admire me? There isn't anything admirable about me..." thought Hinata sadly as she hugged herself to comfort her mind.

"That is a very ironic thing to ask." said a voice from behind her.

Hinata whipped around, blushing that she had been caught spying on Naruto, as well as talking to herself.

When she turned around she saw Kakashi leaning against the other building with his legs crossed at his ankles, while reading his porn.

Though she wasn't sure why, but she thought she could feel his gaze on her, even though he was looking down at his book.

She dropped the thought, and tried to be as casual as possible.

"W-what do you mean Kakashi-sensei?" asked Hinata.

"Well, let me put it simply. You see Naruto as a person to be admired, correct?" asked Kakashi, never looking up from his book.

"Y-yes." said Hinata with a blush.

"But I bet that if you told Naruto openly that you admire him, he would be thinking the same things you are right now." said Kakashi.

Hinata gave him a look of confusion.

"(Sigh) When you heard that Naruto admired you, you wondered why and didn't believe it right? Well, if you told Naruto you admired him, he would wonder why you admire him as well. You see all of the good in Naruto that he himself and many people do not see, and Naruto sees all of the good in you that you yourself do not see, and that is why it is ironic." said Kakashi, still not looking up from his book.

Hinata blushed in excitement.

"If what you say is true..." said Hinata as she fantasized about Naruto actually admiring her.

"Then you will be closer to Naruto." finished Kakashi for her.

"From what I've heard, you see that he is handsome, he sees that you are beautiful, you see that he is clever, he sees how you are smart. He sees you as a beautiful girl, and you see him as a foxy sex toy." said Kakashi, still not looking up from his book.

Hinata's mouth was near the ground.

_'Naruto thinks I'm beautiful?! Wait! Kakashi said WHAT?!'_ thought Hinata, realizing the last thing Kakashi had said.

"H-h-how d-did you... B-but n-nobody knows m-my..." whispered Hinata in a wide-eyed shock.

"Secret? It isn't anymore apparently..." said Kakashi casually.

Hinata tensed up.

"Who else knows?" asked Hinata with a sudden firmness present in her voice.

"Just me and Shizune." said Kakashi.

"I swear if you tell anyone..." whispered Hinata threateningly.

"You'll do what?" asked Kakashi with a raised eyebrow.

She stopped to think for a second.

She couldn't take on Kakashi, even at full power, but she was especially hopeless in her weakened state, and she knew that. She also didn't know anything to hold against him, so she sulked in defeat.

"P-please, don't t-tell anyone Kakashi-sensei..." pleaded Hinata.

"Wouldn't dream of it." said Kakashi calmly and quickly.

"W-what?" asked Hinata in surprise.

"What made you think that I would tell anyone your secret if it would hurt you? Do you really have me pegged in such a way? I thought you considered me a friend. I'm greatly disappointed." said Kakashi.

"A f-friend?" asked Hinata.

Hinata would never had thought of the legendary Konoha-Copycat-Ninja as a friend. Such a thing seemed too surreal, like being friends with a celebrity.

"Yes, a friend. We are friends aren't we?" asked Kakashi with a raised eyebrow.

"Y-yes! Of course!" exclaimed Hinata hurriedly.

"Good. I would like you to think of me as a good friend, especially since if you play your cards right, I will be one of the three of your father in-laws." said Kakashi with a smile underneath his mask.

"In-in-in-l-l-laws?" stuttered Hinata is disbelief.

"Well, yeah. Iruka, Jiraiya, and I are Naruto's official father figures, we have even signed the papers necessary, and I don't think that Naruto even knows that..." said Kakashi as though thinking about it.

Hinata stood there with her mouth agape.

"Well, happy fox hunting..." said Kakashi with a smirk beneath his mask as he turned and disappeared into the bustling crowd in the street.

Hinata took a minute to gather herself, but couldn't get rid of the blush on her face.

_'Naruto and I... married!?'_ thought Hinata incredulously.

The thought alone seemed ridiculous to her, but at the same time, the thought brought her to a very happy place in her mind.

She fantasized about it for a moment before gathering herself yet again.

_'Okay, my body is ridiculously weak at the moment, so I will have to rely on my mind to keep me in the game when I ask him to tell me the truth...'_ thought Hinata with a blush.

Hinata took a very deep breath, and took a step toward Naruto.

Before she could go any further, an arm wrapped around her neck pulling her back into the alley, nearly choking her on the way.

As she struggled to get free, she felt her head ache, and her vision blur after the person slammed her head against the brick wall.

She regained her vision, to see that she couldn't make out the person's face, it was covered by a mask.

She tried to call out for help, but only got out a small "AAAA!..." before her mouth was covered by a cloth, suppressing her voice indefinitely.

She wondered what the person wanted, but didn't have to think very hard.

She felt as her feet and hands were held to the wall by a very warm material. She recognized it as chakra, but didn't worry about what the material was when she felt her shirt cut open by a kunai.

Her eyes went wide as she her upper body was revealed to the world, all that was left covering her was her lavender bra.

She tried to scream in panic as tears poured from her eyes, begging the man to not do what she knew he was going to do to her.

She saw the man's teeth glint in a smirk within the darkness that encompassed his face.

His hands went to her face for a moment, then to her stomach.

"You smell nice..." said the man in a deep voice.

His touch disgusted her, she felt horribly violated and wronged, but she knew that the worst was to come.

The man grabbed the waistline of her pants, and pulled down, exposing her panties.

"Oooh, I like that. The flower of the Hyuuga clan..." drooled the man in his still deep voice.

Hinata sobbed uncontrollably as the man went for her undergarments.

_'PLEASE NO!!!!!! ANYTHING BUT THAT!!!!!'_ thought Hinata desperately.

She had been saving herself for that one special person in her life. She had been saving her virginity for Naruto, the only one she felt could ever hold her heart. But now, her innocence and virginity would be ripped from her in one foul swoop.

She continued to sob as the man moved in on her.

His hand moved closer to her, it was just about to rip away her underpants, ignoring the tears that poured down from her face.

Just as the man was about to grasp onto her underwear, the man suddenly disappeared, and reappeared with his head smashed deep into the brick wall opposite of Hinata.

The man crippled, and fell to the ground, holding onto his head in pain from the blow.

Hinata had no idea what had happened, then she looked to see a figure standing over the horrible man.

It was Naruto.

It was like a dream come true, he had saved her from a horrible fate, but at the same time, she was terribly traumatized from the experience.

She realized what almost happened, and she fell to her knees and began sobbing uncontrollably.  
When Naruto's eyes met her crying ones, and he saw her state, his face was immediately filled with worry and sorrow.

He rushed over to her, and held her head up to look into her eyes.

What he saw left him heart-broken. Her eyes were filled with despair, sorrow, and fear.

She was in a state of shock.

Naruto then got a good look at her body.

Her jacket and shirt forcefully cut open, her pants down to her knees.

It was attempted rape.

With Naruto's eyes wide in realization of what almost happened, he sat Hinata up, and carefully pulled up her pants back up to her waist, tears now flowing from his eyes as well.

He took off his jacket, and zipped it up over Hinata so that she would be properly covered.

He turned around, and stalked over to the man that was laying on the ground, struggling to get up.

As the man tried to crawl away, Naruto kicked him hard, breaking his ribs before he smashed into the brick wall again, falling to the ground in a heap.

Naruto did this repeatedly until the man was having trouble breathing.

Naruto picked up the kunai the man had dropped, and knew what he should do with it.

He took it in his hand, and jabbed it harshly into the man's groin.

The man screamed out in pain, as Naruto held him up against the wall roughly by his neck, stopping his scream by choking him.

"Quit your crying you disgusting bastard. This is only a fraction of the pain you were about to cause Hinata. You have already inflicted a horrible mental pain upon her, what you have done to her is nothing compared to this." seethed Naruto through his clenched teeth.

"Besides, I have been subjected to much worse, and have not reacted like such a little bitch! What's wrong? Couldn't get laid, so you decided that you would steal a girl's virginity?" asked Naruto murderously through his clenched teeth and he painfully ground the man's head into the brick wall while twisting the kunai.

"Someone who rapes, especially a girl as nice as Hinata, is worse than shit. They don't deserve to even be called human anymore, they are worse than a demon ever could be." said Naruto, barely containing his anger.

"Now let's see who you are you filthy fucking bastard..." seethed Naruto as he ripped off the man's mask.

Naruto clenched his hands as he felt red chakra seep out from his skin.

It was Daishi Hyuuga, his face all bloody from the brick wall, but it was still him.

Naruto clenched the kunai harshly in his hand.

He took the kunai, and twisted it more, causing horrible pain towards the Hyuuga boy.

Daishi couldn't scream, Naruto was still choking him.

"AAAAAAARRRRRRRGHH!!!" screamed Naruto in rage.

Before Naruto could deliver a killing blow, he felt his chakra being forcibly pushed down. He grew weak as he felt fatigue overcoming him, his eyes growing very heavy.

Before he passed out. He saw Kakashi and Yamato standing above. Yamato had Naruto caught in the "Sit" seal, and Kakashi just stood there.

Kakashi's only visible eye looked forlorn and sad as Naruto fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

Naruto felt horrible, his body ached all over. The feeling wasn't foreign to him, he recognized it vividly. It was the after effects of Yamato's sealing jutsu that he used to keep the Kyuubi's power from taking over.

_'Yamato was standing over me with Kakashi-sensei, I was angry, and they must have sealed my powers...'_ thought Naruto, trying to remember why he was mad.

Naruto's eyes widened as he jolted up in bed.

"Hinata!" exclaimed Naruto as he was met by a great amount of pain.

He knew that the sealing jutsu's harsh after-effects were strong, but he could take them.

He sighed as he ripped out the life monitoring machine from his skin, receiving a long flat-line beep from the machine to his right, as well as the bustling sound of people from down the hall.

As Naruto tried to get up, he realized that his hands were chained down with a large amount of sealed chains, and based on the penmanship, he could tell Jiraiya made them.

He gave a tug on the chains, receiving a shock of electricity that caused him to fall back down onto the bed, smoking from his ears, nose and mouth.

_'Definitely Jiraiya...'_ thought Naruto.

The door burst open, and several people came running in, relieved to see that he was still alive.

There stood, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Yamato, Neji, Iruka, and to Naruto's surprise, Hiashi.

Tsunade grabbed her heart in relief.

_'Oh thank God!'_ thought Tsunade.

Naruto looked over the rest of the people there.

Everyone had the same look on their face.

Their faces showed sadness and pity accompanied with a grave look on their faces.

Naruto looked at them once, and tried to get up again, causing an even larger shock this time.

"AAAaaaugh!!!" exclaimed Naruto in pain.

Naruto fell back down onto his bed, his clothes smoking this time.

Everyone rushed over to his bed to check him over while holding him down.

"Naruto! Don't try to get out! The shock will just get worse and worse." warned Tsunade, sadness overbearingly apparent on her face.

Naruto didn't care.

"If you know what is good for you, you will let me go, I need to see Hinata." said Naruto.

Naruto's threat had the most effect on Hiashi as everyone's faces got sadder at the mention of her name.

"Naruto, Hinata is fine." said Iruka reassuringly.

Even though it was coming from a man like Iruka, a man who was pretty much his father... well, along with Kakashi and Jiraiya..., he wanted to see Hinata so badly that he didn't care.

"Naruto, we have Hinata safe and sound, I am her father, don't you think I would be sure of her safety?" asked Hiashi rather rudely.

"Hm, I don't know Hiashi, after I had to defend her from you, I'm not quite sure where you stand on the matter." said Naruto calmly with a tint of anger.

Hiashi looked down at the floor.

"You had that coming you know." said Neji almost angrily to everyone's surprise.

Hiashi could turn Neji's brain into mush if he wanted to, because of the caged bird seal. Normally Neji would not dare cross any lines because of honor and degradation, but Neji seemed to be very angry about something.

"I know." said Hiashi with a sigh.

_'Neji is still angry, as expected... I hope that he realizes the way things turn out isn't all my fault...'_ thought Hiashi tiredly.

The talk they had in private was more than that. What he had told him had severely upset him, so he was very much on edge.

"If anyone needs me, I will be in Hinata's room." said Hiashi.

Hiashi went to leave the room, only to stop when the room lit up with a large flickering light from Naruto's direction.

Hiashi turned to see that he was desperately trying to escape from the chains as electricity flowed through him.

"Kid, knock it off, if you keep going like that, your body is going to get fried." warned Jiraiya.

"Don't care... must see... Hinata!" seethed Naruto though the pain.

Naruto kicked up his chakra a bit, creating a massive amount of heat.

The seals began to give way, but only by a little bit.

"Kid, no!" exclaimed Jiraiya.

Once the seals were compromised, they released an ungodly amount of electricity into his body.

Naruto gritted his teeth, and spiked his chakra in response to the pain.

The seals started on fire from the pure heat exuding from Naruto's chakra.

"SHIT!!" exclaimed Jiraiya.

"Everyone out!!" shouted Jiraiya as he jumped out of the window, breaking the glass.

Everyone just stared at the broken window for a moment before reacting.

They ran out into the hall, and Tsunade slammed the door shut behind her and locked it as though it would help.

There was a large explosion, violently shaking the door behind her.

After the explosion was finished and silence fell once again, Jiraiya appeared next to Tsunade in a shunshin.

"Jiraiya! What the fuck was that all about?! I thought you said they were electroshock seals, not explosive seals!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Well... um... I was running out of parchment for the seals, and all I had left was explosive tags so I used the blank side of those..." muttered Jiraiya, expecting Tsunade to hit him.

Tsunade would deal with him later, she was worried about Naruto right now.

Tsunade went to open the door, expecting the worst.

When she touched the handle, the door disintegrated, the doorknob dropping to the floor with a loud echoing clang.

(Crowd sweatdrop)

Tsunade peered in the doorway to see a large amount of smoke, which made it hard to see past it.

Where Naruto's bed was, there was a crater that extended out past the outside wall, leaving a giant hole to the outside, wind rushing in as though invited to do so.

As the smoke began to clear, she could make out a large a crater in the floor where Naruto's bed was.

"It was a good thing you had this room's walls, ceiling, and floor studded with 3 feet of steel and concrete, otherwise that would have done alot more damage." said Hiashi observantly.

"Well after all of Naruto's past visitations, it was wise to accommodate for someone of his... stature." said Neji.

When the smoke finally cleared, they saw Naruto standing there, the thick chains still draped over his shoulder.

Naruto's face was filled with a small amount of rage, but mostly it was just annoyance.

Naruto ripped the chains off of him just like before, and he walked up and out of the crater, until Hiashi stood in his way.

"I am sorry somewhat, but you are not allowed to see her." said Hiashi with his arms folded, blocking the way.

Hiashi didn't notice, but everyone else had stepped aside at Naruto's first step out of the crater.

"You know Hiashi, there is an old saying,_ 'Threaten not those who are a threat to you...'_" said Naruto stepping closer to Hiashi.

"Yes, I have heard it before, what about it?" asked Hiashi boldly.

"(Sigh) You know, you are Hinata's father, and I want to be on good terms with you... but you being a complete and utter jackass to me doesn't help matters at all you know..." said Naruto, shifting past him, leaving Hiashi in the doorway as he proceeded down the hall.

Hiashi stood there in shock, and then suddenly turned on his heel to give chase to the Jinchuriki as fast as he could in his injured state.

Naruto got to Hinata's room fairly quickly. It didn't take long to figure out which door held Hinata behind it. With Naruto's enhanced sense of smell, lavender and lilac fragrances were just too easy to pick up on.

Naruto burst in the door, much to the surprise of Sakura, Hanabi, Kiba, and Shino, who were all gathered around Hinata's bed.

"Naruto! I thought they had you tied up!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Broke out." said Naruto simply.

Naruto turned to see Hinata laying on her hospital bed. She wasn't hooked up to a life monitor, life support, or an IV, she just laid there on her bed, out cold.

Naruto slowly began to walk over to her, ignoring Sakura's ranting of how stupid it was to break out of the hospital all of the time.

About half way to the bed, Naruto felt himself being tackled to the floor.

"GAHAA!!" shouted Hiashi as he pinned him to the floor.

Suddenly Hiashi went stiff.

"Ah... Sakura... my back..." whispered Hiashi through his pain.

"(sigh) You shouldn't be moving around like that Hiashi-sama, and you know that! I told you that when I released you..." said Sakura, helping him up from Naruto.

Naruto stood, and dusted himself off.

He turned and walked towards Hinata's bed again.

"Stop! You are not allowed!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Naruto stopped and turned to him, annoyance clear on his face.

"Oh just let him through Hiashi, is that anyway to treat Hinata's savior?" asked Tsunade as she walked in the doorway, the group from the other room, piling in from behind her.

"Her savior?" asked Hiashi dumbfoundedly.

"Yes Hiashi-sama, if it wasn't for Naruto, Hinata would have been, how did you put it before... Brutally tainted." said Kakashi.

Hiashi's eyes went wide as he looked from Kakashi, to Hinata, to Naruto.

Naruto's face showed sadness when the subject came up, and it didn't look as though he enjoyed having to talk about it.

"Is that true Naruto?" asked Kiba with his fists clenched.

"Hai." said Naruto sadly.

"Do you know who it is?" asked Hiashi with a hint of venom in his voice.

The venom was not directed at Naruto, it was directed at the rapist.

"Hai, I know who it is. I believe you know him Hiashi-sama." said Naruto, looking down at Hinata sadly.

Hiashi face contorted into one of rage and surprise.

"Who?" asked Hiashi quickly.

"We have apprehended the rapist, Hiashi. It wasn't hard, especially after what Naruto did to him." said Yamato.

"Yamato is right, there is no need to try and handle this yourself, he is already in custody, and is in horrible shape." said Kakashi.

Hiashi looked more pleased than before, but was still angry, it was somebody he knew after all.

"Who. Was. It?" asked Hiashi angrily.

"Hiashi there is no need..." began Tsunade.

"I want to make sure this never happens again!!!" shouted Hiashi.

"It can't, it is literally impossible." said Naruto.

"...What did you do to him Naruto?" asked Neji.

"Well... Let's just say he will _never_ be a father..." said Kakashi with a small evil smile to match Naruto's.

Everyone got wide-eyed, and Kiba crossed his legs nervously.

Everyone who didn't know what happened looked at Naruto in surprise.

"Does it surprise you? It shouldn't. After I saw what that man did to her, you guys would have done the same thing, if not something similar." said Naruto calmly, not taking the time to look at anyone except Hinata.

Her once peaceful face was filled with sadness and pain, even in her sleep.

"If we hadn't of came by and stopped Naruto, he surely would have tortured him to death." said Kakashi.

"And I plan on doing so as soon as I find out where that Hyuuga bastard went..." said Naruto.

Naruto eyes went wide realizing he had given away that the man was a Hyuuga.

Hiashi's eyes went wide, and his face contorted in a deep rage.

Hiashi took his cane, and stood.

"A Hyuuga huh? Not for long if I have anything to say about it." seethed Hiashi through his gritted teeth.

"Now who was it?" asked Hiashi, firmly not taking no for an answer.

Naruto smirked.

"You know something Hiashi-sama, I'm beginning to like you more... Alright, I figure you could do just as bad damage as me, so I'll tell you." said Naruto.

The Jounin and Sannin in the room shook their heads quickly at Naruto with their eyes wide, telling him not to give Hiashi a name.

Naruto smirked again, but then clenched his fists when he prepared to say the name of scum.

"It was Daishi." seethed Naruto through his gritted teeth.

Hiashi's, Neji's, and Hanabi's eyes went wide in recognition of the familiar name.

"Have fun with the torturing." said Naruto with a satisfied yet worn smile.

_'If I can't get to Daishi, then I will assure his fate with Hiashi. Hiashi has connections in very high places, I'm sure he'll be able to arrange something.'_ thought Naruto, trying to reassure himself, despite what all had occurred today.

"Damn him! Damn him to hell! That man just made an offer to take Hinata's hand in marriage a few days ago!" exclaimed Neji in anger.

Now it was Naruto's turn to be surprised.

"Her hand... in marriage?" asked Naruto in shock.

"Well, yes. In a clan like ours, the heir or heiress gets married off to the most valued suitor." said Neji with his fists clenched, as though he were already angry about something else.

Naruto looked to Hinata in distress, hoping she could tell him that she wouldn't marry anyone but him.

The thought of Hinata with anyone other then him made Naruto's heart throb in pain.

"Was Hinata... tainted by that _filth_?" asked Hiashi in a deep rage.

"No, I stopped him just before he could..." said Naruto, stopping to let tears pour from his eyes as he quickly wiped them away, not wanting anyone to see his weakness.

"She is still pure. As you would call it." muttered Naruto.

Hiashi turned around slowly, his back aching and his mind racing with unfulfilled rage.

"Hiashi, realize that unless Daishi attacks you or someone else, you cannot harm him, otherwise I will have to charge you with battery or murder of a fellow Konoha nin... even though it would greatly pain me to do so." said Tsunade regretfully.

Hiashi nodded before turning to leave, a disturbingly evil smile present on his face.

"Hiashi." said Jiraiya firmly.

Hiashi turned to look at him, respecting Jiraiya's authority by not ignoring the Sannin.

"You would be wise to take good care of your daughters, they are in this too you know." said Jiraiya, causing Hanabi to look up in surprise.

Hiashi stopped and looked at Jiraiya, he had his attention.

"Something like this effects everyone she knows, not just herself, although she has most definitely been affected the greatest by the proverbial sharp end of the stick so to speak. As a great man once told me: Do not do onto others, unless you would do it onto yourself... unless he deserves a boot in the ass!" finished Jiraiya with a smirk.

_'Minato was a good kid..'_ thought Jiraiya with a smile.

Everyone turned and looked at him strangely.

What he said was goofy near the end, but it was very moving towards the beginning. Jiraiya was a very wise man. A good man.

And Tsunade really saw that now. When she tried to stop Hiashi from doing something bad, she couldn't do it without force, but Jiraiya had affected Hiashi in a much more profound way, and it didn't take him longer than a few seconds.

_'He really is a sage...'_ thought Tsunade in deep thought.

"And based on what I heard he tried to do, I think that he deserves a boot to be shoved _repeatedly_ up his ass until an injury occurs, seeing that was what he would have done to Hinata without a second thought." said Jiraiya, finishing with a smile.

_'And he has a good head on his shoulder too, even if it occasionally thinks much too perversely... but maybe that will come to be a good thing in the future...'_ thought Tsunade with a slight blush.

_'That boy will get what is coming to him... one way or the other...'_ thought Hiashi as he left the others to wonder about his intentions.

Tsunade snapped her fingers, receiving three ANBU to appear in front of her.

_'I hate to do this, but as the Hokage, I have to protect my citizens, no matter how much the filth deserves to be raped himself!'_ thought Tsunade with a sigh.

"Shall we follow him Lady Hokage?" asked the dog ANBU.

"Please." said Tsunade simply.

"It is a pleasure to serve you." said the ANBU as they disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

The nurse in the room sighed as she took out a broom, and began to sweep up the leaves.

"I wish you ninja would quit doing that indoors, it drives me insane having to clean up leaves all of the time." said nurse as she left the room with her filled dustpan.

Naruto turned to look at Hinata, wishing he could be certain as to what he should do now.

Because of the new information he had received, he realized that Hinata might not even end up with him; her father could give her hand to anyone at will.

But right now wasn't a time to be thinking selfishly about his own happiness, Hinata needed to be comforted, but while she was unconscious, he couldn't do anything to help her.

He growled at his uselessness, and bowed his head in shame of it all.

_'I may not be able to do anything right now if I stay here, but Hinata would not want me moping around on her account, she would want me to go do something productive... I know! I could find Gaara, and we could go over some jutsus! If I get stronger, I can protect Hinata and everyone else even better! Especially Hinata though...'_ thought Naruto with a new found confidence.

"You guys promise to keep an eye on her while I'm gone?" asked Naruto as he stood suddenly.

Kiba looked up at him and blinked once, as though he hadn't heard him correctly.

"Y-Yeah, of course." said Kiba nervously. He did not like the stern look Naruto was giving him.

"If I leave, and I find that you left her for even a second, I will personally see to it that you pay... _greatly._" said Naruto quietly and calmly, but at the same time, quite threateningly.

Naruto took his leave in a shunshin, the others including the Hokage herself, had been shrugged off.

"..."

"Well what the hell am I supposed to do now?! The whole reason I'm still at this hospital, is because I wanted to talk to Naruto when he awoke!" complained Tsunade loudly.

"You could let me take you on a date, it would make you feel better." offered Jiraiya casually, knowing what the answer always was.

"(sigh) Fine, pick me up at 6:00." said Tsunade as she left with a turn of her heel, and a flick of her robe, walking out through the doorway in what looked like a hurry.

_'I need a fucking drink...'_ thought Tsunade.

Jiraiya stared at the spot Tsunade was in, then suddenly pulled out a CBU.

"Teuchi. It happened. Bring out all of the stops." said Jiraiya into the CBU with a big smile, as he left to get ready.

As he ran down the halls of the hospital and saw the clock, he realized how much effort he had to put into this.

He didn't have much time, it was already 4:00, it would be hard to get the things he wanted for the date, but he was a Sannin, it could be done.

Jiraiya ran as fast as he could to his tent, determined to make this the best night he or Tsunade had ever experienced.

* * *

Naruto was running, he knew where to go, he just hoped that the person he was looking for was there.

He wasn't making very good mental progress on what he should be accomplishing. He kept picturing Hinata's pained expression as she lied there in bed, and he couldn't do a damned thing to help her.

_'When Daishi gets his trial, I will be there to be sure he gets whats coming to him.' _thought Naruto angrily.

Naruto shook his head.

He promised himself that for Hinata's sake, he wouldn't sulk around, even if it was in his mind, he had to concentrate on his task at hand, he had to get stronger, so he could protect Hinata and his friends with everything he had and more.

He headed down the main street that lead from the hospital, then turned left, heading towards the Hokage tower.

As he ran, he rushed past people so fast that he barely made out who they were, or what they looked like.

Naruto suddenly stopped when he saw two figures in front of him, in all too familiar garments.

Naruto's eyes widened as he saw two Akatsuki members that he had met before, standing in front of him.

It wasn't like they were trying to block his path, they weren't even paying attention to him, they were looking into a food stand, and seemed to be talking to each other about going in.

Suddenly, Kisame turned his head towards Naruto and met eyes with him.

Kisame smiled and fully turned towards him, waving his hand.

"Hey Naruto! I heard your girl got 'erself hurt, is she alright?" asked Kisame with a smile.

Naruto's eyes widened further, this time in anger.

"You had something to do with it didn't you?!" shouted Naruto in anger as he pointed at him.

Itachi turned and smacked him in the back of the head.

"You idiot! I told you not to do that!" exclaimed Itachi.

Naruto was angry, and on edge at meeting not one, but two Akatsuki members, so he was quickly angered when Kisame didn't answer his question.

"Well?! Did you?!" shouted Naruto, the chakra flowing from his body was barely visible, but Itachi saw it immediately.

Naruto now had the attention of most of the people on the street.

Most of them looked at Naruto in disgust, but some merely just looked with no emotions either way.

Then the people looked towards the man Naruto was shouting and pointing at.

Kisame started to feel the pressure of the situation.

"No! We haven't done anything to your girlfriend! We've just been watching her..." said Kisame, assuming it would calm him down.

It didn't.

Naruto's chakra raged for a second, then Naruto forced to push his chakra back down, trying to keep in control since he was in public.

"WATCHING HER?!?! YOU FUCKING PERVERTS!!!" shouted Naruto as he gripped his hair to keep his emotions under the_ start a killing frenzy_ level.

Kisame's eyes went wide as he started to notice the horrible looks he was getting from the citizens.

"N-NO! That's not how it was!! We were watching you too!" exclaimed Kisame.

Naruto stopped for a second.

"Oh my God! GAY PERVERTS!!!" shouted Naruto as he continued to point.

They were starting to gather a rather large crowd.

"No! No! Nooo!!! For gods sake Itachi has a girlfriend! And I'm a fucking fish!" exclaimed Kisame.

Kisame had his arms hanging down in front of him in disbelief that someone implied he was a pervert. Something like perversion had never even crossed his mind once during their spy mission, it was completely professional, and still was professional, seeing that the mission had not yet been canceled by Tsunade for any reason as of yet.

Itachi really didn't want his relationship to be brought into a public discussion.

"Kisame!" exclaimed Itachi as he whapped him on the head.

"We are not perverts!" shouted Itachi.

Itachi took his robes and swirled it around him and Kisame, making them dissapear.

Naruto couldn't sense them anywhere, they were good, he would never expect any less from an Akatsuki member.

_'I've got to tell Tsunade!'_ thought Naruto as he shunshined away, leaving the crowd of people with nothing to look at.

"Well... there goes that slight bit of amusement for the day..." said a civilian.

_'She should be at her desk by now...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto immediately searched the Hokage Tower, finding nobody to be there except Gaara.

"Naruto. It's good to see you, I wanted to talk to you." said Gaara.

"Not Now! There are lives at stake!" exclaimed Naruto as he went to leave.

"Let me help." said Gaara as he stood from his chair.

Naruto stopped for a second.

Gaara was one of the nicest people he had ever met aside from Hinata, even though Gaara barely showed any emotion most of the time.

"Sure! I need all of the help I can get!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Well, what seems to be the problem?" asked Gaara.

"There are Akatsuki members in Konoha!" exclaimed Naruto, presuming that he would get a shocked or surprised face from the former Jinchuriki.

But Gaara remained as stoic as ever.

"Yeah, I know." said Gaara.

Naruto didn't know what to think of him saying that, so he ranted.

"You knew?! And you didn't do anything?! What kind of Kazekage are you?!" exclaimed Naruto.

Gaara's eyes narrowed at that comment, causing Naruto to step back a bit. Gaara almost never showed any emotions at all, and now that he had shown anger, it was quite frightening.

"A damn good one, as my sister puts it anyway." said Gaara with a small smirk.

Naruto almost laughed at hearing Gaara swear casually, but kept himself focused.

"But why aren't you doing anything?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"(Sigh) I assumed Tsunade had told you, let me explain, it will take several minutes." said Gaara.

Gaara explained everything he thought Naruto should know, that there are undercover agents in the Akatsuki, that there is Jinchuriki among them, and that these spies he mentioned had actually been on Konoha's side for a great number of years.

"But I saw Itachi!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Well yes, he has been on our side the longest of any of the Akatsuki members..." said Gaara.

Naruto eyes widened.

"Nani?! But he killed nearly all of the Uchiha clan!!!" exclaimed Naruto.

"(Sigh) What I have been told, is that the Sandaime Hokage was overpowered by the elders of Konoha, and the elders ordered Itachi to destroy his entire clan. Itachi accepted, but couldn't go through with it, so he hired a paid assassin to kill them for him, so he would not have to go through such an ordeal." said Gaara apathetically.

Naruto's eyes widened.

"He had to hire someone with strength and killing ability similar to his, as well as someone that could keep up a henge of Itachi while fighting. Itachi found a man, and realized he had great power, but once the attack started, it was too late, he realized that the man he had hired was secretly Orochimaru." said Gaara.

Naruto was so shocked he wasn't sure whether he should be surprised or completely angry.

"Rumors say that Itachi, before realizing that it was Orochimaru he hired, ordered him to not kill certain Uchihas. His parents, little brother, and Yasu Uchiha. Orochimaru agreed. But Orochimaru only held up on half of the bargain in the end. He killed Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, but not Sasuke or Yasu Uchiha." said Gaara.

Naruto was slightly brought out of his shock when he heard an unfamiliar name that ended in  
Uchiha.

"Who was Yasu Uchiha?" asked Naruto suddenly.

"Records show she was the daughter of one Matsu Uchiha, other than that, we know just about as much as you do." said Gaara.

"But WHY _kill_ the Uchiha Clan?! That sounds a _little_ harsh, even for the counsel..." exclaimed Naruto incredulously.

"What did they ever do to deserve that?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"It wasn't really what they did, it was more of what the were capable of doing." said Gaara.

"Eh? I don't get it..." asked Naruto in confusion.

"The Uchiha clan had previously raged a furious clan dominance war with the Senju Clan, and it showed just how furious it would fight for power. Another example of this was the First and Second Hokages. They were both of the Senju clan, Hashirama and Tobirama Senju. Madara Uchiha, the leader of the Uchiha clan at the time, fought furiously for the position of Hokage with Hashirama. With the influence of the Hokage on their side, the Uchiha would have become infinitely more powerful. But the Uchiha clan never got one in power; instead, they were given responsibility over the Konoha Police Force. The elders thought giving them this responsibility of being the police force would satisfy them for a bit, but it didn't and the Uchiha felt betrayed, constantly being watched by the Konoha ANBU. There was much silent turmoil, and the elders finally gave the order to Itachi to kill his own clan." finished Gaara.

Naruto plopped down in the Hokage's chair in shock, trying to let his brain accept the information he was just given.

"Alright... so... lets get this all straight so there is no confusion." said Naruto while rubbing his temples.

"Okay." said Gaara.

"One: There are Akatsuki members that have been on our side for years."

"Yes."

"Two: The Uchiha massacre was not performed by Itachi, but Orochimaru."

"Yeah"

"Three: So Sasuke has been living a lie his entire life, trying to kill Itachi to get vengeance for his family?"

"... Yeah... essentially, but I wouldn't put it so... harshly."

"Four: The Senju clan has been in power even though the Uchiha, a rivaling clan of similar power and power grasping intentions, was foreclosed to only one district and watching heavily by the ANBU, while the Senju clan got off scott free?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Well... Um... hmmmm... I'm not sure about what happened there, you will have to ask your Hokage, for once, I actually don't know something of extreme importance..." said Gaara, as he tried to think of answer, but came up blank.

They both sat and thought for a couple of minutes, before coming up with nothing.

"I would probably have my mind more into this, but I am just too damn sad..." said Naruto, leaning on the desk, just as Tsunade would.

Before Gaara could ask, the door opened and a man a very familiar garb walked into the room, except, Naruto had never seen that color on that material in person, but he knew who he was.

The man was wearing a Kage robe, except the hat was colored blue instead of red like the Konoha's Hokage, and had a symbol that said _'Water Shadow'_.

It was the Mizukage, in the flesh, actually standing in the same room as Naruto, with his multiple guards in tow, all of them looking very distraught at the very idea of being there.

Although Gaara was very surprised and showed it, Naruto sat in his chair, not making a move.

"Please, come in Lord Mizukage." said Naruto politely, offering him a chair.

The Mizukage looked at him as though he were crazy.

The Mist and the Leaf had been in war for so long, that the Mizukage's mere appearance should triggered a village-wide panic, but here the Hokage was calm and happily inviting him in.

"Please, take a seat." said Naruto, still offering the chair.

The Mizukage nodded to his guards, and they stood by the door.

He walked forward, and sat down into the chair in front of the desk Naruto now sat behind.

_'Naruto... What are you doing?'_ thought Gaara, eying Naruto warily.

"So, what brings you here, Is there an occasion I am not aware of?" asked Naruto calmly with one innocent blink of his eyes.

The Mizukage was still dumbstruck that the Hokage was being this nice with him, until he realized the features on the man sitting in the Hokage's chair.

The tell tale yellow flashy hair, the blue eyes that could pierce your soul, and a casual appearance about him.

"Minato? Yondaime Hokage? I heard that you had died in that incident with one of the Bijuu all that time ago..." said the Mizukage with wide eyes at Naruto features.

_'Yondaime?.... Ah. I get what you are doing...'_ thought Gaara with a smirk.

While Gaara observed Naruto, the Mizukage sat in his chair in shock, thinking about how he was so misinformed.

_'Our lack of connection to the outside world from our country, aside from our massive shipping system, really does have lagging effects once you leave it... To think that the Yondaime is alive and well when I thought him dead all of this time...'_ thought the Mizukage.

_'Heh, figures... he thinks I'm Minato.'_ thought Naruto with an inward smile as he kept up his confident appearance.

"Please, lets get down to what you want here, I know you are anxious to get out whatever it is you want to say, especially after traveling so far, having all of that time to think about it." said Naruto suddenly, but kept his tone fluid yet inviting.

The Mizukage gaped at the man.

He had never actually met the Yondaime, and was stunned that such intellectual things were coming from someone dressed so... loudly. When he pictured the Yondaime, based on the many legends he heard, he certainly didn't picture this. His personality was correct to the tales, but he was too happy, too welcoming. He was smart like the legends, that was what he expected, but he also expected cold indifference along with cold calculating movements to come from him.

"Is there something the matter?" asked Naruto.

He noticed that the Mizukage's eyes kept drifting to his jumpsuit.

"Oh, excuse me for not being properly dressed, you caught me at a trying time, and I felt I had to get out of those stuffy robes." said Naruto as he stood from his desk, and reached underneath it.  
Naruto was only wearing his black undershirt, but his hat that covered his ears always screamed _look at me_.

Naruto pulled out a piece of clothing, did a single spin, and sat back down, dressed like Konoha's Hokage.

_'I could get used to this.'_ thought Naruto.

Just as he was about to address the Mizukage again, the door opened, and Houkou stormed in, looking mad.

"Hokage! You should know what is happening in your village! I just heard from Kiba at the hospital that there has been a horrible incident involving your friend, that nice Hyuuga girl!" exclaimed Houkou.

"Please, relax Raikage-sama, I assure you that I know of the situation, and it has been dealt with to the fullest extent at the time being." said Naruto calmly.

The Mizukage had a largely surprised look on his face, as he looked upon the young girl.

_'The Raikage is a girl so young?! And even so, what is she doing here?!'_ thought the Mizukage.

"Fullest extent? DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HER?!?!" shouted Houkou, getting very emotional.

Suddenly Naruto stood from his chair, his eyes blazing. The chakra pressure coming off of him was so intense, that it caused the guards at the entrance to fall abruptly to the floor, unconscious.

The Mizukage was basically glued down to his chair because he was so close. Gaara and Houkou were having trouble standing while in his presence. Truly, anyone who wasn't at a Kage level, would already be unconscious from such raw power.

Naruto's eyes were filled with anger and irritation, glaring down on Houkou.

**_"DO NOT RAISE YOUR VOICE TO ME RAIKAGE-SAMA!!! SHOUTING AT ME?! IN MY OWN VILLAGE?! THIS IS A SHOW OF DISRESPECT AND DISHONOR, ESPECIALLY AMONG SUCH GUESTS!! AND DO NOT SPEAK TO ME AS THOUGH I AM NOT AWARE OF WHAT HAPPENED, I WAS THERE!!!!! HOW DO YOU THINK THAT AFFECTED ME?!!!"_** shouted Naruto at the top of his lungs, his voice dripping with anger and demonic bass.

**_"Dude, holy shit..."_** muttered Kyuubi in slight awe.

Houkou was nearly in tears, but kept her poise.

"F-Forgive me Hokage-sama. I did not mean to be disrespectful, it is just that Hinata is such a good girl, and for something like that to happen to her..." said Houkou quietly, not able to look him in the eyes.

"No forgive me; I should not have snapped like that, it was disrespectful in my own way. But please understand, you really hit a sensitive spot." said Naruto, sitting back down, putting his elbows on the table, and entwining his fingers together, just like Tsunade and the old man had done for most of their terms as Hokage.

Gaara was astonished, but still cool and collected.

Houkou would be a while before gathering herself, and the Mizukage was completely in shock.

_'Such power!!!!!' _thought the Mizukage in complete and utter shock.

"Well, seeing that the Hokage, Raikage, Mizukage, and the Kazekage are all in one place, why don't we talk about our cooperation, functionality, and friendship as four different Nations." said Naruto as he took out a huge stack of blank official parchment, and four pens.

"K-Kazekage?!" asked the Mizukage.

_'The Kazekage too?!'_ thought the Mizukage in even more shock.

"Yes?" asked Gaara casually, looking over at the Mizukage.

"N-nothing..." muttered the Mizukage as he sat back in his chair to try and relax.

Gaara turned back to Naruto.

"Naruto, do you mean... a treaty?" asked Gaara.

"Now you're talking! I mean, a treaty is why you came all of this way I hope? Isn't it, Mizukage-sama?" asked Naruto.

Naruto's eyes wandered over to the Mizukage, almost startling him.

_'Such power directed at me... But I have to stay focused! We came all of the way here to finally do this, so I am going to do it.'_ thought the Mizukage firmly.

"Yes, in fact, you bringing up putting up a treaty for us is like a dream come true." said the Mizukage with an actual smile as he took a pen.

"Alright, are you two in?" asked Naruto casually, even though what he was suggesting would affect entire nations.

_'Tsunade is going to kill me... but after that build up of mine that I threw in her face, she might be softened a bit.' _thought Naruto.

"Certainly." said Gaara, grabbing a pen.

"O-of course!" said Houkou, grabbing a pen as well.

"Alrighty then!" said Naruto happily, taking the first piece of parchment from the stack.

_'This will take my mind off of Hinata for now... but I doubt I can go very long without thinking about her, I want to be there for her when she wakes... but maybe all of this political stress will get Hinata out of my mind.'_ thought Naruto.

(One half of a second later)

_'Well that didn't last long...' _thought Naruto with a mental sigh.

He had already thought of her vividly.

_'If I spend too much time away from Hinata, I can already tell it will cause me great pain...'_ thought Naruto.

"I hope she's okay..." muttered Naruto barely audible so that he wouldn't be heard.

"Alright, lets start with economic shares agreements, and military agreements and policies..." said Naruto as he began writing down what he thought was a fair agreement between the four nations, an agreement that would benefit them all.

END OF CHAPTER

* * *

Yays, the chapter is out forall to see!

Just in case you couldn't tell from my fic, this is how I feel about rapists.

Rapists need to go burn in a fucking pit in hell while they get raped by Satan, so that they know what it is like!

Rapists don't deserve the death sentence, they deserve the _"Get raped every day of the week by a big dude named John with elephantitus until you bleed from the anus"_ sentence.

(I would never let Hinata get raped, If I wrote something like that, I would probably kill myself...)

Next chappie has alot of info...

Until next time, PLEASE! READ and REVIEW!


	32. Uncovering the Truth

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Who knows, maybe your opinion will have an affect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 32:**_

_**Uncovering the Truth:**_

Naruto sat in the Hokage's office, the sun rising as he slept with his head face-down on the mahogany desk. His robes still on, and his head practically glued to the table, Naruto really didn't feel like getting up after all of that work and stress. He was very happy with the results of the treaty. There were only a few snags involving the economic shares between the nations, but he solved that rather well.

The foot high stack of treaty papers on the right side of his desk didn't lie, there was a lot of agreement between the four nations that took part in last night's... not-so-legal activities.

One of the first things that Naruto addressed, was the seclusion of Raigakure and Kirigakure. This seclusion would an economic problem for all countries involved if it was not fixed, so Naruto initialized a program that would allow the lands of lightning and water to open up shop in the land of fire, to take advantage of all of the open lot spaces in Konoha and the Land of Fire had. In return, Konoha could do the same in either countries. But Naruto insisted that if they were to open shop in Raigakure, that he would be allowed to initiate a program to raise funds for an easier way for customers, consumers, and civilians to get down to the ground from on top of the high cliffs of what used to be Kumogakure. So Naruto suggested a series of guarded elevator systems that could carry people to and from Raigakure. Naruto got the idea from an old naive wandering nation that had thankfully fallen around three years ago.

Regardless of its origin, Naruto also insisted that a series of coordinated and simplistic trails be made to each major contributing country, so that people could find it easier. Certainly there was much arguing about the subject. Raigakure was a _hidden_ village after all, hence it should be _hidden_. But Naruto disagreed, the hidden villages were all economically unstable because of the lack of financial gain.

Konoha was filled with shops, and most civilians in the land of fire knew of its location, and they did just fine as a hidden village. In fact, Konoha was historically the most financially successful hidden village. After several minutes of persuasion and cooperation, Naruto got Houkou to agree. Getting the Mizukage to agree was a lot easier. Their hidden village's location was known by many ship fleets that made up their economy. The shipping of goods in and out of Kirigakure was their financial stabilizer. But Naruto insisted that if he had just as many civilian shuttle boats as they did cargo ships, then they would be even more successful. Naruto learned that Kirigakure grew and made all of it's products and crops within the city walls. He suggested that if they converted the factories to be shops as well, then they would be very successful in combination with more civilian shuttle boats to let potential customers buy their produce and products.

The Mizukage was shocked at such a suggestion, but Raigakure was going through a similar agreement, and Konoha 's location was highly known for years, so he eventually agreed. Military terms were the easiest. Konoha was known for its loyalty, and Naruto immediately put up full cooperation in regard to all military contexts. Houkou and the Mizukage were shocked at such a generous offer, and in return, offered the same support. After all of the debates, agreements, suggestions, additions, subtractions, and writing of said terms, Naruto was absolutely exhausted now that all of the terms and agreements had been finalized in documentation.

The Mizukage left with a smile underneath the white cloth that hid the lower half of his face, saying that he would stay in Konoha for a little while to enjoy its warmer climate, and reminded him that he would be sending his counsel to Konoha anytime within the month to permanently finalize the peace treaty.

Houkou also had a smile, leaving him a similar reminder. If Naruto's plans worked out, The Village Hidden in the Lightning would be a whole new village. Maybe they could resurrect their village back to its former glory so it could once again be called Kumogakure, The Village Hidden in the Clouds.

"Naruto, thank you for all you have done so far. I am glad that Konoha had elected you Hokage." said Houkou with a confident smile.

_**"Maybe if you were actually the Hokage..."**_ said Kyuubi.

Naruto mentally stuck his tongue out.

Naruto merely nodded to Houkou.

"It's ironic really, a Jinchuriki destroyed our village, making it no longer worthy of the Cloud title, but now, a Jinchuriki is helping us reclaim that lost title..." said Houkou, looking out the windows of the office.

Naruto didn't know what to say in response.

Houkou turned to him and smiled, the moonlight on her face making her red facial tattoos stand out.

She walked over to him, then got close to him, pushing her face close to his.

"I am forever in debt to you..." said Houkou.

Naruto didn't seem at all fazed by her closeness. She had hoped she could make him uncomfortable.

Houkou then grabbed the collar of his Hokage robe.

"But if you ever tell ANYONE about what you saw that night at the Inuzuka compound, I WILL get back at you." whispered Houkou venomously.

Naruto again did not react to anything she did or said.

"You didn't even need to ask, we are friends, and that's what friends do." said Naruto simply.

Houkou blinked once and then looked go of his collar, looking confused.

"But in return, I want to be the best man when you guys get married." said Naruto with a smile.

Houkou blushed.

"O-our... Our relationship isn't that serious..." muttered Houkou with a blush.

"Houkou, you said that you would do anything to be with Kiba, and then he said that he would never do anything to change you or make you unhappy." Naruto.

Houkou's eyes widened as she thought of the conversation.

"And then you two had hardcore sex. I think that's getting pretty serious..." said Naruto with a smirk.

Houkou blushed until her face was red.

"H-how d-d-did you know it w-was hardcore?" asked Houkou almost shakily.

"I could hear you two from downstairs..." said Naruto with a slight blush of his own.

Houkou turned away from him, and rushed to the door.

She was very uncomfortable with the situation.

"You just keep your promise." muttered Houkou.

"And you just keep that best man spot open for me. I'm sure you can use... persuasion on Kiba." said Naruto with a smile.

Houkou blushed again, and quickly left the room.

Gaara, being the one who stayed the longest, unnoticed by Houkou, congratulated Naruto on the successful treaty. Be he reminded him of the repercussions of his actions.

_"Naruto, you know that the penalty for impersonating a Kage is death right?" asked Gaara._

_"You would know that best wouldn't you? Orochimaru has yet to have his sentence carried out." said Naruto tiredly._

_"I know, but we will get him eventually." said Gaara confidently._

_Gaara walked to the door, and turned to Naruto as he opened it._

_"Take care Naruto, be sure that you don't get caught." said Gaara with a smirk._

_As soon as Gaara closed the door, Naruto fell to sleep right on his desk._

_

* * *

_Naruto awoke with a start, the treaty still piled as he left it, nearly reaching one foot in height.

He turned to look out the window to see that the sun was about to rise.

His eyes widened.

Tsunade would be in her office any minute.

Naruto quickly took off the robes and folded them just like they were, shoving them back into the secret compartment that he got them from.

He quickly sealed the treaty into a storage seal, placing the seal in his pocket as he prepared to leave.

Suddenly the door opened, and in walked the Slug Princess.

Naruto was surprised, but he remained calm.

"Hello Tsunade." said Naruto.

Tsunade was surprised to see Naruto up so early, let alone sitting in her chair.

"Naruto..." said Tsunade quietly.

Tsunade was looking at her feet, and she looked sad after seeing Naruto.

Naruto remembered their mostly one-sided conversation yesterday outside of the hospital.

"So, are you going to tell me what I did wrong, and how I am going to get punished?" asked Naruto calmly, his elbows on the desk, and his hands entwined together.

Tsunade flinched, but remained business-like.

"You never clarified for me whether or not you did anything wrong, but even so, it is not punishable by law, just by me." said Tsunade.

She had Naruto's interest now.

"Go on..." insisted Naruto.

Tsunade sighed and walked up to the desk.

"I might as well out right say it, yesterday, Hinata came to me in tears..." said Tsunade.

She remembered that Hinata didn't want Naruto to know about what happened, so she would have to leave out the details.

Naruto's facial expression changed from shock, to sorrow, then anger.

"Before or after I castrated the filthy fuck faced baka?" asked Naruto calmly.

Tsunade jumped a bit at the sudden harshness of Naruto's words.

"Before." answered Tsunade.

Naruto fists clenched and he kept himself from yelling.

"_Why _was she crying? If somebody hurt her..." whispered Naruto angrily.

"I was under the impression that _you_ hurt her, seeing that you were the only thing she cried about the entire time." said Tsunade.

Naruto eyes shot up from the desk and eyed Tsunade widely.

"What!? What did I do?" asked Naruto incredulously.

Tsunade read Naruto's face. He wasn't lying, he really didn't know what he did wrong.

"Didn't you turn her down?" asked Tsunade.

"No! I told her I loved her!" exclaimed Naruto incredulously.

Tsunade paused for a moment in surprise.

_'Maybe it was something he did afterwords...' _thought Tsunade.

"Well... What did you do after that?" asked Tsunade.

"..."

Naruto blushed deeply and couldn't maintain eye contact with her.

She got the picture.

Tsunade rolled up her sleeves as a tic appeared on her forehead.

"Naruto, remember what I told you I would do if I found out that you had taken advantage of Hinata..." said Tsunade menacingly.

Naruto's eyes got wide and he immediately got defensive.

"What?! I didn't take advantage of her! I told her I loved her, and she said she loved me too, and we kissed, but that is it!" exclaimed Naruto.

Tsunade calmed back down, and let her sleeves fall back to her wrists.

Tsunade got a confused look on her face again; she knew that he was telling the truth.

"Well then... I'm sorry Naruto. I have no idea what to think now. Hinata begged me not to tell you what she said, so you have to find out on your own." said Tsunade. Tsunade was sad, yet confused as to what was going on between the Hyuuga and the Uzumaki.

"..."

Naruto was certain he didn't do anything wrong. He had saved her virginity, hell, he had saved her from being brutally raped by that Daishi bastard. But what happened before that? Was she mad that Naruto hadn't been there when she woke up? He knew he didn't leave a note, but he was kind of preoccupied with bleeding to death.

"Has she woken up yet?" asked Naruto hopefully.

"Not that I know of." said Tsunade sadly.

"..."

Naruto looked sad, and he felt powerless, unable to do anything about Hinata's pain while she slept.

He had to see her, whether she was awake or not.

Naruto got up from the desk, letting Tsunade sit down in her chair.

Tsunade still felt horrible about what Naruto had told her at the hospital, and she wanted to make amends if possible.

Naruto was depressed and suicidal all of those years ago, and she only made it worse by yelling at him, telling him that he wasn't good enough.

"Naruto, I..." said Tsunade as she was cut off by Naruto's hand being held up to her face.

"Don't Tsunade. I was young and inexperienced. I was foolish and lost sight of what was important. It wasn't your fault, it was mine, so don't think that it was. I realize how wrong my actions were, and I will never do anything so foolish ever again." said Naruto as he walked to the door, and opened it, turning back to a surprised Tsunade before he left.

"So, how was that date with Jiraiya?" asked Naruto.

Naruto wasn't toying with her, he was just curious.

Tsunade's face went back to normal and she even smiled slightly.

"We never went, I was too drunk, so we re-scheduled for today at 6:00." said Tsunade.

"Oh, I suppose that was my doing, sorry for unloading on you like that, but it was just built up for so long that I was just waiting for someone to bring it up. And by the way, I understand why you attacked me. Hinata is a good girl, and If I ever hurt her... inflict me with double the pain." said Naruto shutting the door with a smile.

Tsunade chuckled to herself.

"That Naruto... He's going to make Hinata a very happy girl, that I am sure of." said Tsunade with a content smile.

She stopped and thought for a second about what she had just said.

She snapped her fingers and several ANBU appeared in front of her desk.

"Yes Hokage-sama?" asked the dog masked ANBU.

"Are the security cameras in Naruto's room still installed?" asked Tsunade.

"They have been up and running ever since the Sandaime had them installed when Naruto was young." answered the ANBU.

"Okay, from now on, have a direct feed to my television, I want to keep an eye on them at all times..." said Tsunade.

The ANBU nodded, and left Tsunade to think at her desk.

_'Those kids are extremely hormonal at that age, I had better keep a stricter view of them.' _thought Tsunade.

Shizune walked into the office, yawning as she let Tonton drop to the floor to walk around.

"Shizune, get me all past feeds of the room of Naruto Uzumaki." said Tsunade suddenly, surprising her assistant.

"What for?" asked Shizune.

Tsunade gave her a look.

"What? I was just curious why you wanted to watch them. I watched the feeds myself one week out of boredom, and there wasn't much to watch, except when he practiced jutsus, then things got pretty interesting." said Shizune.

Tsunade paused for a moment to think, ignoring the jutsu comment almost entirely. It was no surprise to her that Naruto practiced jutsu in his own home, Naruto was a renowned jutsu-holic.

"So aside from practicing jutsus, eating, sleeping, and bathing, he didn't... DO anything?" asked Tsunade.

"What are you asking Tsunade? Are you asking if Naruto is a... master debater?" asked Shizune with a blush.

"It is important at this point that I know Naruto's... needs. Lest he do something with a certain Hyuuga girl that would cause a village uproar..." said Tsunade seriously, but with a slight blush.

Shizune nodded.

"Alright, I'll tell you right now, Naruto is one of the most unusual guys. Aside from looking at a Pornographic magazine to master his sexy jutsu, he never did anything aside from that." said Shizune.

Ignoring the not-so-surprising Sexy jutsu comment, Tsunade face showed extreme surprise.

"Really?! Not even once?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"No, there are cameras everywhere, and he never did such a thing." said Shizune.

_'It is almost impossible, at the rate the male testosterone levels increase, a man should not be able to take going so long without a release... Males are designed to mate with many many females many many times throughout their lifetime. In this way, it ensures that the human population does not cease to exist. But Naruto...'_ thought Tsunade thoughtfully.

Tsunade took another second to think, realizing that there was a three year period where Naruto wasn't under camera surveillance.

"Jiraiya!" shouted Tsunade quickly.

Jiraiya appeared in front of Tsunade's desk with a fondue pot full of melted chocolate, a bushel of strawberries, and a bottle of Sake.

He set everything down on the floor next to Tsunade.

"For you my queen." said Jiraiya extravagantly.

Tsunade blushed. He could be so romantic when he wanted to, and God she loved chocolate strawberries...

"Thank you very much Jiraiya, I will tell you how much I appreciate it later, but right now, I have something very important to ask you." said Tsunade with a serious expression.

Jiraiya immediately got serious.

"Ask away." said Jiraiya.

"While Naruto was with you on your training mission, did he..." said Tsunade, pausing for a moment, trying to think of the right words to say.

"No, he was not a masturbator." said Jiraiya suddenly.

Tsunade mouth was wide open in disbelief.

"How did you..." asked Tsunade.

"Know what you were going to say?" finished Jiraiya with raised eyebrows.

Jiraiya crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"Tsunade, I know you, I can read you just as well as you can read me." said Jiraiya, opening his eyes to look at her.

"..."

"Well... why didn't Naruto... well... you know...?" asked Shizune.

Jiraiya slightly smirked.

"Even though he was horribly tempted, he never did. He thought that such a thing was wrong and immoral. He figured he would wait until he developed a relationship to share such an experience with his significant other." said Jiraiya.

"You mean, he's never experienced an orgasm?" asked Kakashi suddenly.

Everyone jumped at the sound of Kakashi's voice.

"How long have you been there?" asked Jiraiya.

Kakashi was standing in the corner of the room, with his eye down on his book, and his legs crossed at his ankles, just like always.

"I arrived here the same time you did. I was following you because I wanted you to autograph the latest addition of Icha Icha Paradise, but after hearing this, it will have to wait a minute or so." said Kakashi with an amused expression apparent, despite only having one eye visible to show it.

"Hearing what?" asked Naruto.

Everyone turned to see that Naruto had just walked in, with a confused yet suspicious look on his face.

Naruto was in a hurry to see Hinata, but then he realized that he had forgotten to ask Tsunade about something that had been deeply bothering him ever since Gaara told him about it.

Everyone but Naruto was panicking on the inside, but they showed no emotion that expressed their panic.

"Oh nothing of large importance. Did you forget something?" asked Tsunade quickly.

Naruto paused to scan the room just as quickly, trying to decipher what was going on.

_'Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Shizune, Tonton, a chocolate fondue set, a bushel of strawberries, and a bottle of Sak'e... Yeah, I got nothin...'_ thought Naruto with a mental shrug.

"Yes actually, I would like to talk about the Akatsuki members in Konoha as undercover spies, the Bijuus and the Jinchurikis, the Uchiha Massacre scandal, and the Senju clan." said Naruto calmly as he walked up to her desk.

Everyone in the room was savvy to that information, but they were surprised that Naruto had gathered up such information by himself, as well as a few of the other questions he had asked that had everyone looking at Naruto, wondering how much he really knew.

"What about it?" asked Tsunade boldly and quickly.

Naruto responded just as quick.

"You told me before that there were Akatsuki members on our side, so who are they?" asked Naruto.

Tsunade sighed, he had to know now, he already knew too much information to be left out of the circle.

"They are Kisame, Itachi, Deidara, and one unknown person." said Tsunade.

Naruto paused for a moment, finding it hard to believe Itachi or Kisame are on their side, especially since he had been attacked by them on more than one occasion. But he decided for the sake of getting more information, he would let it slide for now.

"I already had an encounter with Deidara, you were there Tsunade." said Naruto.

Tsunade remembered that, Naruto was really good at henging on command, especially as Hinata.

"But I also had an encounter with Itachi and Kisame, which wasn't a pleasant one. They said that they had been_ watching _me and Hinata, care to elaborate?" asked Naruto almost angrily.

Everyone in the room looked towards Tsunade, making her sigh that nobody else would say anything, even though they very well knew the answer.

"(sigh) I charged Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, and the fourth member with the task of making sure that there are no threats to Konoha, especially a threat on the inside, like the Hyuuga clan going on a rampage because their heiress is _with_ a Jinchuriki." said Tsunade sadly.

Naruto's eyes went wide.

_'How long have they even been watching us!? A month? A year!? All my life!?!? This is so wrong!!' _thought Naruto angrily.

He was upset, but he now understood why he was being watched, it made sense... but he still felt it was wrong to do.

Naruto had to keep letting things slide to get more information, he didn't like it, but he would make sure he would ask it shortly afterwords anyway.

"Now that Itachi is in the conversation, I would like to talk to you about how Itachi didn't massacre the Uchiha clan." said Naruto.

Tsunade's eyes widened.

"If you know that much already, then you know the rest." said Jiraiya.

Naruto gave them all a hard look.

"Why withhold this information? If Sasuke had this info earlier, he never would have gone to Orochimaru for his power!" exclaimed Naruto.

"True, but Itachi wanted his brother to hate him and eventually kill him. When that finally happened, Itachi's powers would be transferred to Sasuke, multiplying the Sharingan's powers exponentially. Then, Sasuke would be expected to repopulate the Uchiha clan with an extremely powerful Sharingan. Itachi begged us to keep it a secret, and we obliged to his wishes, but when Itachi and Kisame went to find the Kyuubi Jinchuriki like they had been ordered to capture, as you probably recall, they ran into Sasuke as well. When Itachi saw his little brother, he immediately realized a flaw in his plan. Sasuke was cold, indifferent, and mean, and Itachi could tell that it was not just towards him, it was towards everyone. Itachi did not foresee this happening. He thought Sasuke would only hate him, but Sasuke ended up being cold to everyone around him. Itachi realized that this had to be undone, but every time his little brother approached him, Sasuke would attack him, leaving no space for a discussion. And so here we are today, Itachi is still trying to figure out a way to tell Sasuke without destroying a large part of each other." said Tsunade, gauging Naruto's reaction.

Naruto just stood there with a thoughtful expression on his face, his hand to his chin as though thinking thoroughly about it.

"So, Itachi, Kisame, and Deidara are all to be trusted?" asked Naruto questionably.

"Yes, just as any other Konoha ninja." said Jiraiya.

"Okay, now I would like to talk about Pseudo-Jinchurikis." said Naruto.

"What about them? You already know about one of them, and that was Sora of the Fire Temple." said Jiraiya.

"Everything. Are there any others? How many are there? What can you gather about their powers?" asked Naruto quickly.

"(sigh)... Okay, that is a lot to answer. We know that aside from the Kyuubi, forming a Psuedo Jinchuriki is nearly impossible. The Kyuubi has so much energy, that it leaks off of him during battle, and that chakra was able to be harvested in order to make Sora a Psuedo-Jinchuriki. But, any other Bijuu doesn't leak nearly as much chakra, so it is hard to harvest it. So based on those facts, we know it is highly unlikely that there is another Psuedo-Jinchuriki aside from Sora." said Tsunade as she used a cork-screw to open up her new bottle of Sak'e.

"Can chakra be harvested from a Jinchuriki to make a Psuedo-Jinchuriki?" asked Naruto.

"No, once the chakra passes through a human's chakra coils, it looses too much demonic structure to be infused into someone else, unless of course there is a certain seal used, but such a seal would be so entirely complex and complicated that it is nearly impossible." said Jiraiya.

"Right, so there is no way there is another Psuedo-Jinchuriki aside from Sora." said Tsunade, as she poured herself a glass and took a drink.

"But I just met one the other day..." said Naruto

"(ppphhhhffffff!!!)"

Tsunade spit out her Sak'e and started up a coughing fit, while everyone else looked at Naruto with wide eyes.

"(Cough)(cough cough) Hack ho ha horf!"

Tsunade fell over sideways to the ground, and laid there motionless.

Jiraiya quickly moved behind Tsunade and smacked her on the back very hard.

Tsunade spit out a lot of Sak'e in response as she eventually caught her breath.

"What?! When?! Where?!... Why?!" demanded Tsunade incredulously.

"He was this guy I met at Ichiraku's bar. He was a strange person, he ate his food with some kind of white stuff..." said Naruto.

Tsunade and Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"Do you mean the intruder?" asked Tsunade in disbelief.

"No! Stop calling him that! He didn't do anything wrong!" exclaimed Naruto.

"(sigh) I'll show you what he's done wrong." said Tsunade.

_'I didn't look before, but I bet his criminal record is astounding.'_ thought Tsunade.

Tsunade put her finger on the intercom that went to the downstairs appointment center.

"Kotetsu." said Tsunade.

"This is not Kotetsu, he is not in today, he was assigned to front gate duty today, and I am his replacement, just like always." said a voice from the intercom.

"Oh. Well, could you do me a favor and bring me up the bingo book I left down there at the receptionist desk?" asked Tsunade.

"Yes Lady Tsunade, I am looking at it right now, and I will be up momentarily. It may take longer than usual, some guy is here complaining about his fruit. Let me deal with him first." said the voice.

"Okay, take your time." said Tsunade.

"Now Naruto, the bingo book not only has a character and ability description, but also a criminal record list. And although we have not gotten a look at the man that has been eluding our ANBU, we a pretty sure it is the man we found in the bingo book." said Tsunade.

The office doors opened, and the assistant came in, carrying a bingo book in tow.

"Here you are Lady Tsunade." said the man.

"Oh it's you. Thank you Tairaa, and I am sorry for forgetting about Kotetsu's absence." said Tsunade.

"Not a problem." said Tairaa with a low respectful bow.

Naruto was blankly staring at the man who had walked in. Naruto's eyes were wide, and he was looking wildly in between Tsunade and Tairaa, but nobody noticed Naruto's confusion.

"Okay now, page 33. See. Here it is. Tyler of the Satou clan. At the top it says _warning do not approach, do not provoke_ in big bold red letters, and that should be enough. But lets take a look at his criminal record." said Tsunade as she thumbed the page.

She looked to the space on the left side of the page for a list of criminal activities, but there were none, and it said so in italicized letters.

"What the?! He has no record! According to this, he has committed no crimes..." said Tsunade in disbelief.

There was a large pause where everyone who took part in trying to capture him felt stupid.

"Well, I guess he has no criminal record... so we can't really capture him if he hasn't committed any crimes." said Tsunade.

"Uh, Tsunade, that is Tyler." said Naruto.

"I know, I still have it on the page. This is the person you saw right?" asked Tsunade.

"Yeah, I'm looking right at him." said Naruto.

Naruto leaned over Tsunade's desk, and set the book down face up. He pointed at the picture, then pointed at Tairaa, who was still standing in front of her desk.

Tsunade's eyes widened.

"Is there anything else you want me to do Lady Tsunade?" asked Tyler(Tairaa).

"W-what is your full name?" asked Tsunade shakily.

"You just said it earlier, my full name is Tyler of the Satou Clan, or Tairaa Satou if you prefer." said Tyler calmly.

Everyone in the room was now _very_ wary of the man standing calmly in front of Tsunade's desk.

"There are no records of you being born in Konoha, so where did you come from?" asked Kakashi as he took a step forward.

A soon as Kakashi's foot barely touched the ground, Tyler's sight was immediately partially concentrated on Kakashi's foot.

Tyler's immediate reaction caused Kakashi to stop from going any further, he did not like the nervous feeling he was getting from this man.

"Well, that is a long story. Do you have time?" asked Tyler politely.

"Certainly, now please, enlighten us." said Jiraiya impatiently.

"Alright, it all started in the Land of Snow." said Tyler.

They had their attention on him to the fullest extent, the Land of Snow was far away and hard to get to because of the distance across the sea.

"We were falling under war, and our Monarchy broke apart, making our country vulnerable. A military force soon tried to take control of everything in the form of ninja brigades. They almost succeeded, but were eventually stopped in their tracks with the help of some hired hands. We regained control of the country and realized we needed greater power and control of the country, so we founded the Village Hidden in the Ice." said Tyler.

"The Village Hidden in the Ice? Never heard of it." said Naruto.

"Most haven't, it was only founded around three years ago.

Anyway, I realized that we already had a decent sized ninja population, but we needed stronger training methods and higher numbers to survive. So, I began to search the world for a land that would accept me, to teach me of their ways. Once I was done learning enough things, I would send the information back to my country, and they would learn how to act as a hidden village from my information and examples." said Tyler.

Everyone's eyes were wide.

"You have been giving information to another country about our hidden village?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Yes, it is actually quite harmless, the only thing I have been giving them is your organizational and training methods as a hidden village. Nothing more than that." said Tyler.

"..."

"Can we have copies of the documents you sent?" asked Tsunade quickly.

"Certainly." said Tyler as a large stack of papers suddenly appeared on top of his outstretched hand.

Tsunade was surprised for a second, but took the papers and began to read them over.

"So, the first village that would take you in was the Leaf village?" asked Kakashi.

"No, the Village Hidden in the Sound took me in first." said Tyler.

Tsunade dropped the stack of papers onto her desk in surprise, and everyone else was in shock.

"W-what? The S-sound village?" asked Naruto in surprise.

"Yeah. Our leader was this guy who looked like he had a horrible bleach accident. He called himself Orochimaru. I trained under him for quite some time before realizing what kind of leader he was. He was merciless, and I found out what was going on deep underneath the village. There was inhuman testings happening down there. Such despicable and tortuous things. So, one day, I simply left them, abandoning their ridiculous ideals and hidden agendas." said Tyler.

Everyone was in shock, but he continued.

"I then headed to the nearest village, which was this one, and I was welcomed to join as a ninja. I have been working here for about half a year, and nobody has ever asked me these questions until now, and I would like to know why it is important for you to know." said Tyler calmly.

Tsunade was brought out of her shock by a shake of her head.

"Wait! You have been in Orochimaru's labs?" asked Tsunade with wide-eyes.

"Yes, I have been to many labs in many countries, but only two villages side from my own have accepted me. But even at home, most people wouldn't accept me... you know how that is, don't you Naruto?" asked Tyler.

Naruto looked down at the ground with slightly worn eyes.

"Yeah... I know what it's like..." said Naruto sullenly.

"So, you are... a Jinchuriki?" asked Jiraiya suddenly.

The room suddenly got so silent that it you could hear Tsunade's Sak'e permeating.

"A Pseudo-Jinchuriki." responded Tyler.

At the confirmation of him being a Pseudo-Jinchuriki, everyone was now feeling very unsafe.

It was already bad enough that he was a very dangerous individual in the bingo book, but now he was also a Pseudo-Jinchuriki.

"Are there any others like you?" asked Tsunade.

"Based on the information I gathered on my trips around the world, I found many Jinchuriki like myself, and I also found many Pseudo-Jinchuriki." said Tyler.

Everyone's eyes widened.

"How many Pseudo Jinchuriki are there other than you?" asked Tsunade rather quickly.

"I know for a fact that two are dead, and not including me, there are six others that I know are alive." said Tyler.

"Oh my god..." said Jiraiya as he braced himself on Tsunade's desk for support.

"I thought we already had enough to deal with..." said Tsunade in disbelief.

"So wait, two dead, and six aside from him are alive... so that makes 8, does that mean that there are only 8 of the 9 possible?" asked Shizune.

"Wait, do you know Sora?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, Sora of the Fire Temple, Pseudo-Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi." said Tyler.

"Wait, so if you know about Sora, then that means that there is no doubt that there are at least eight of the nine possible..." said Kakashi.

"Well no, one Bijuu never found a host, it was captured by an organization called the Akatsuki. It was the three tailed Jinchuriki, so that makes 7 of the nine possible." said Tyler.

"Impossible, the three tailed Jinchuriki is Kisame!" exclaimed Kakashi.

"Kisame Hoshigaki is the Pseudo Jinchuriki of the Village Hidden in the Mist." said Tyler.

"Pseudo? I thought he said he was a Jinchuriki..." said Kakashi.

"There must be a misunderstanding, he is definitely a Pseudo-Jinchuriki." said Tyler.

"What is the difference anyway?" asked Shizune.

"Well, there are several differences, and there are several similarities." said Tyler.

"..."

(Impatient waiting)

"And those are?..." asked Naruto just as impatiently as everyone else.

"Both need to have the power sealed into them when the are an infant, because otherwise they would die from the foreign chakra. Both give the user extraordinary powers. But the main difference between the two, is that Pseudo-Jinchurikis have a body-like mutation that is very drastic. Naruto has a slight mutation on his cheeks, but other than that, most normal Jinchurikis won't experience much changes in their bodies except for their chakra coils widening to make room for the extra chakra." said Tyler.

"Oh. Well that would make it a lot easier to identify them." said Kakashi with a thoughtful look.

"And it makes sense, Kisame looks like a fucking shark..." said Shizune with a shiver at the thought of the intimidating fish-man.

"And Sora has that weird arm mutation..." said Naruto.

"Wait, what is your mutation?" asked Naruto suddenly.

Tyler smiled.

"My mutation that happened was quite complex, and it took me a while to figure out what the mutation actually was. My Bijuu is the Rokubi, it is widely known as the Lightning Weasel. It's element, obviously being lightning, was my actual mutation." said Tyler.

Everyone just stared at him.

"What? The lightning was your mutation?" asked Tsunade.

"Well, in part it was. Let me explain. As everyone knows, the nervous system is controlled by a series of small electrical shocks that travel from the brain, through the nerves, and back into the brain. This is how your body is allowed to move. Well, when the Rokubi's massive amounts of lightning element chakra were sealed within me, it adapted to my body the best that it could. So it infused itself into my nervous system, and as a result, I can manipulate, control, and draw on it just as Naruto can with Kyuubi's chakra." said Tyler.

Tsunade's eyes widened.

Being a medical expert, she immediately realized his mutation.

"You can control the flow of movements down to the slightest degree!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Tyler smirked.

"Very intuitive, yes, that is a part of it. I can activate it, and deactivate it whenever I please. Aside from that, I can mold lightning with relative ease, which allows me to perform very strong lightning jutsus perfectly, no matter how complex. Plus, it seems to effect my body as well. I will need to give a demonstration for you to understand." said Tyler, who looked over to Tsunade.

"Lady Tsunade, you have a punch that could topple a mountain, do you not?" asked Tyler.

Now it was Tsunade's turn to smirk.

"I don't carry the title of Sannin for nothing." said Tsunade as she jumped out from behind her desk.

"Good, now punch me." said Tyler.

Everyone looked at him like he was nuts.

"Go ahead, go crazy." said Tyler.

Tsunade swiftly appeared in front of him, and threw a punch at his head.

Everyone was in shock at what happened.

Tsunade's fist went right through his head, it was like Tyler's head was made of water, and her hand was going right through it. Tsunade pulled her hand out, and his shape went back to normal.

"You see? With part of my mutation, I am able to see the lightning molecules that constantly move through my body, therefore, I can manipulate them. I caused the cells to vibrate around the object, keeping the cells in tact while I receive no damage. But there is more, aside from having what I literally call lightning reflexes, I can move my body at nearly the speed of light. But there is a problem with that, sure, I can see where I am going at that speed, and I am able to get to that speed because of my mutation, but I have almost no control over what I do. So, I am limited to moving within a space of 10 feet. If I try to go any farther than that, I will lose control going at nearly the speed of light, which as any simpleton can tell you would be disastrous." said Tyler.

Everyone was shocked.

"So, you are short range fighter then?" asked Naruto.

"Oh I prefer short range, but I specialize in many long-range attacks as well." said Tyler.

"The applications for this are nearly limitless!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"What are the consequences of using such a powerful technique?" asked Jiraiya suddenly.

"Well, the carbon matter deteriorators and converters in a human's cellular structure eat up glucose in turn of using the electrical signals to function with energy, which is why people need to eat. But, when I speed up my body..." said Tyler, looking over to Tsunade.

"You speed up your metabolism." said Tsunade with wide eyes.

"Yes, so over-exerting myself could easily prove fatal." said Tyler gravely.

"Aside from that, another drawback is that I do not have very large amounts of chakra, and even though I have learned excellent chakra control to make up for it, it is still a large drawback." said Tyler.

"I see..." said Tsunade.

Tyler's head suddenly turned and looked over to the window. He disappeared, and reappeared next to the window, staring out towards the Hokage monument.

"I must go, I apologize." said Tyler as he disappeared like a bolt of lightning.

"..."

"Well, what the fuck was that?! Finally, we get someone who knows a shitload of crap about the Bijuu, Jinchuriki, and even Orochimaru's labs! But he off and escapes before we can ask him more!" exclaimed Tsunade in frustration.

"It's not like he's going anywhere, he works for you after all..." said Shizune.

"Yeah well, I'm still mad about it..." said Tsunade with a pout.

"I have learned just about everything I need to know for now, except for one thing Tsunade." said Naruto.

"Why was it that the Uchiha clan got massacred for being powerful, but the Senju clan, an equally powerful clan, got off scott free?" asked Naruto.

"Well, to be truthful, after the last great ninja war, the Senju clan's numbers went down drastically, there were only a few that were alive during the Uchiha massacre. So in other words, they weren't and still aren't a threat." said Tsunade apathetically.

"Oh... I guess I didn't notice there were so few of them..." said Naruto thoughtfully.

"Yes, and neither did anyone else, they slowly began to die off during the war. They expended too many men, and as a result, there are barely any left." said Tsunade sadly.

"..."

Naruto walked over to the Hokage's door, becoming very suspicious when all eyes watched him either with interest or with wary eyes.

"Well, I pretty much got to know what I needed to know so... I guess I'll be on my way." said Naruto as he closed the door behind him.

"Well, there goes the Knucklehead Nun of Konoha..." joked Kakashi.

"AHA!!" shouted Naruto as he jumped back into the room, surprising everyone and leaving Kakashi dumbfounded as to what to say.

"I heard that! Now what the hell is that all about?!" demanded Naruto.

Everyone stood quietly while Jiraiya whistled and observed the ceiling, tapping Tsunade's desk with his fingers as he leaned on it.

Naruto glared at Jiraiya for less then a second before realizing Jiraiya's discomfort.

"You told them something didn't you?!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Now kid, I would never..."

"What was it?" interrupted Naruto harshly.

"Was it one of the things you promised you would never tell anyone?" asked Naruto with a now apathetic face.

Jiraiya shifted his position uncomfortably as Naruto glared at him.

Naruto gaze traveled to the ground as his eyes became sad.

"If I can't trust you guys... I don't know who to trust anymore..." muttered Naruto as he left in a huff.

"(Sigh) Oh great, now I feel like a complete ass..." muttered Jiraiya as he rubbed his face in frustration.

Tsunade gave him a slightly pleading yet commanding look.

"Alright, I'll go talk to him." said Jiraiya.

As Jiraiya walked to the door, he grabbed Kakashi by the back of his jacket and dragged him out the door.

"Come on Kakashi." said Jiraiya, walking as though Kakashi's weight didn't slow him down.

"Why do _I_ have to go?" asked Kakashi in agitation.

"Because you're his father too." said Jiraiya in clear agitation.

Kakashi immediately sobered up, then smiled.

"That reminds me..." said Kakashi as he formed several hand signs.

* * *

At the training academy, Iruka was teaching his class, and he was boring the students out of their minds.

"Now class, the only art suitable for a ninja, is the art in which he can use skillfully." said Iruka as he began to draw a diagram on the board.

Suddenly Kakashi appeared and began to drag Iruka out of the classroom by the back of the collar of his shirt.

"You're coming with me." said Kakashi forcefully as he dragged him down the isle between desks.

Iruka eyes were wide and his face was confused.

"And I guess that concludes class for today, tomorrow we will begin the study on the theory o...." said Iruka as his voice trailed off because he was too far away to be heard.

* * *

Itachi kept his eyes on the ground as he made his way to the last place he wanted to be, but at the same time, in his heart, it was the number one place he wanted to be.

_'What will I do? What should I say?'_ thought Itachi.

_'Oh I know, I'll just walk in like I own the place, because I technically still do, and I'll pretend like no time has passed at all.'_ thought Itachi.

"Yeah, that will work..." muttered Itachi sarcastically.

He could see his house growing nearer and nearer.

"I'm so worried I feel sick to my stomach..." muttered Itachi.

"Whatever she does, however she reacts, she still loves you." assured Kisame.

"..."

"When the hell did you get here?!" asked Itachi.

"That is not important, the important thing is that you walk in there, and tell her how much love her and miss her." said Kisame.

"You're right(deep breath) you're right(deep breath)... I can do this..." said Itachi as he took one step towards the house.

Suddenly Itachi turned on his heel and made to run for it.

Kisame grabbed him by the back of his shirt as he ran in mid-air, still trying to get away.

"(Sigh) Itachi..." said Kisame.

"No! nononononoooooo...." seethed Itachi as he continued to flail about in Kisame's grasp.

"(Sigh) Just get in there!" shouted Kisame as he threw Itachi at the house.

* * *

She sat partially in the dark of her home, her blinds all closed to let her sit and think, just like she always did when she got home from work.

She felt depressed, and was chronically feeling worse and worse with each passing day.

Her boyfriend had left her over a year ago, and he promised that he would be back as soon as he could. Her heart and mind were plagued with horrific thoughts everyday about him. She wondered if he was even alive, surely if he was living he would have came back by now. She even wondered if he had totally forgotten her. She sat there on her sofa, thinking over her boyfriends disappearance, just like she always did. She knew there was no one else for her, there was nobody else in the world who could possibly fit her personality like her boyfriend did.

She felt like just laying back and taking a nap, but her clothes were not comfortable to sleep in.

She wore traditional Uchiha branded clothing. Her pants were still equipped with her weapons from work, and her long black hair draped itself over her traditional white Uchiha branded shirt. Her eyes, pure black like her boyfriends, were slightly filled with un-fallen tears.

Her name was Yasu Uchiha.

(Crash!!!)

Suddenly a robed figure came crashing through her window, taking out her blinds with him.

She immediately jumped to her feet out of pure instinct.

The figure got up from the floor, the drapes covered the person's left shoulder and head.

She jumped in surprise at the figure's movement and took out her kunai, ready to ward off this intruder.

The figure ripped the blinds from himself, and threw them out the window with a flick of his wrists.

It was a man, that she could now easily tell from his stance and movements. She couldn't make out his face, it was too dark in her house to provide enough light to do so.

The man walked up to her rather casually, and this perturbed her.

She thrust forward with the kunai, only to have her wrist grabbed by the man's firm and strong hand.

"Not now Yasu, I've had a long and rough time at work and I'm not in the mood." said the figure.

Yasu's eyes opened as wide as possible. She would immediately recognize that voice from anywhere.

It was her boyfriend.

As she stood there clutching her kunai with her mouth agape, Itachi walked past her to the coat rack, and hung up his Akatsuki cloak.

Then he walked back over to her, and stood back in front of her.

He leaned in close and gave her a questioning look.

"What, I've been gone for a year on a ridiculously hard mission, and when I come back I don't even get a hello?" asked Itachi with a fake hurt voice.

Yasu's face turned from surprised to angry.

She lifted up her hand and struck at Itachi.

Itachi easily saw the blow coming, and allowed it to hit his cheek with a resounding slap.

Itachi leaned back into his standing position, and looked at her emotionally upset face.

_'So, she IS angry at me.'_ thought Itachi sadly.

"You know, If _you_ left _me_ for a year and you finally returned, I wouldn't have slapped you, or even shown one little bit of anger or frustration against you. I would have smothered you in love like you would leave again the very next second." said Itachi.

Yasu's face changed from angry to only upset with a hint of guilt.

"I have longed to see your face for over one full year. And now that I see you, even if you hit me, my heart soars like a hawk. I could never hate you for doing something like this. I love you with everything I have." said Itachi.

Yasu remained silent for a long moment before opening up her long-pent-in rant.

"You left for a full year! You said you would be back as soon as possible! What the hell was I supposed to think?! I assumed you'd died or forgotten about me!" exclaimed Yasu as her eyes filled with tears. She choked out her words while she tried to talk firmly, but all of this happening so fast was just too much for her.

Itachi almost immediately rushed so close to her that she could feel his breath on her lips.

"How could you think that I could EVER forget about you?" asked Itachi.

Yasu gasped and didn't know what to say.

She had fantasized about Itachi saying that for a long time, and now he finally said it.

"I love you Yasu Uchiha, please, forgive me for making you wait such a long time." said Itachi as he embraced her tightly.

Yasu was absolutely shocked.

Everything had happened so fast and so sudden, for a year she was sad and depressed, but now she was suddenly filled with relief, happiness, joy, and love.

Tears now rushed from her eyes and she desperately grabbed Itachi in the embrace, holding him tight so he would never leave again.

"Itachi!" exclaimed Yasu in sobs of happiness and relief as Itachi comforted her, letting her know he would never leave her like that again.

* * *

"What do you mean I have to leave her like that again?!" exclaimed Itachi, showing real anger in his eyes.

Itachi was in the Hokage's office, talking to her about the proceedings of the past few days.

"Relax Itachi, your not leaving for longer than a few days! It is just a normal mission." assured Tsunade.

"It had better be, I'm not leaving my Yasu for that long ever again." said Itachi as he regained his composure.

_'(Sigh) I figured he would not like the idea of leaving again, but I didn't know he would be so adamant about it...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Alright, here are the mission specs..." said Tsunade as she handed him a storage scroll.

"That scroll contains everything you will need to know about this mission: your teammates, your expectations, and your actual mission objectives." said Tsunade.

Itachi nodded as he disappeared in a shunshin.

"If I find out I will be gone for any more then a week on any mission that involves me leaving Konoha, I will immediately withdraw myself from the task." warned Itachi's disembodied voice as it echoed throughout her office.

_'I hate it when people use that jutsu, its really creepy.' _thought Tsunade with a slight shiver.

She had to file her paper work, she was due in the hospital in a few minutes.

She looked down to see that she had forgotten to fill out a a tax-exemption form for a deli on the lower side of Konoha, but because she didn't fill it out in the previous form, she had to rewrite an entirely new document from scratch.

Tsunade sighed as she reached down to get some official parchment from her bottom-right drawer.

She was shocked to find that there was only a few pieces of parchment left.

She would have to go down to the storage closet and search around for more, but she didn't have enough time so she figured she could always do it tomorrow.

Tsunade got up from her desk and stretched, anticipating a good couple hours of treating patients at the Hospital.

* * *

Naruto was walking through the hospital halls, making his way to Hinata's room. He was still very angry at everyone for keeping a secret about him, especially since he had begged Jiraiya not to tell anyone whatever the secret was. But he was finally going to see Hinata, and nothing would make him happier.

It was taking a few minutes to get to her room, but it wouldn't have been so hard to get there if the nurse wasn't clinging to his leg.

"You can't go there! You have been forbidden by Lord Hiashi!" exclaimed the nurse as she was being dragged down the hall.

_'I thought I had Hiashi figured, although he IS just being overprotective.'_ thought Naruto.

"Don't move anymore or I'll stop you!" exclaimed the nurse.

Naruto continued walking, not even remotely slowed down by the nurse's clinging.

Naruto made his way up to Hinata's room, finding a huge assortment of get-well cards placed outside the door.

_'What, do they make sorry-you-almost-got-raped cards?!'_ thought Naruto incredulously.

Naruto then saw a greeting card on top of the pile labeled:

_Sorry you almost got raped, get well soon._

"..."

_'Damn you Hallmark...' _thought Naruto.

Naruto took the card and opened it, seeing that it was signed from various Hyuuga elders.

'Like they even care...' thought Naruto.

He ripped off the bottom half, and threw the rest in the trash bin, pocketing the half he kept.

Just the thought of Hinata almost getting raped made Naruto sick to his stomach, he had to see her. He had to see her smile so he could kiss her and tell her everything would be alright, and that he would always be at her side.

Naruto opened the door, and was immediately greeted by Hiashi, who was standing directly on the other side of the door with his arms crossed.

Naruto sweat-dropped.

"How did you get past the nurse?" asked Hiashi immediately.

"I haven't technically gotten past her yet..." said Naruto.

Naruto moved so Hiashi could see the nurse who was still desperately clinging to his leg.

"..."

"Why is her face bruised?" asked Hiashi.

"I didn't take the elevator." said Naruto.

"..."

"I'm not following..." said Hiashi with a confused look.

"The stairs aren't exactly made of soft material..." said Naruto as he removed the nurse's hands from his leg.

"Give it up, I'm already there." said Naruto to the nurse.

"..."

"I think she's unconscious." said Naruto.

"..."

Hiashi suddenly got serious and turned towards Naruto, sending him a small warning-shot of killing intent.

"You need to leave, if you don't, I will force you to." said Hiashi.

"Says the man leaning on crutches." replied Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

"I will not let you pass, regardless of my physical ailments, I will stop you." said Hiashi proudly.

Naruto looked past Hiashi to see Hinata still laying in her bed, the same fearful and uncomfortable look on her face from the other day.

He had to talk to her.

"You have a better chance of getting me to hate Hinata in any way, shape, or form." said Naruto smugly.

"(Sigh) Look, you may be confident, and you may like my daughter, but I just don't know you. And so far, aside from you beating me up, sneaking into my daughter's room in the middle of the night and sleeping with her; once half naked, once in just your boxers, and once as a stuffed animal, I don't really feel comfortable letting you near my daughter." said Hiashi with his eyebrows raised.

_'How did he...'_

"You know?!" exclaimed Naruto incredulously.

"Yes, and first of all, I am very sorry that I almost killed you, but second of all, you snuck in to sleep with my daughter in the middle of the night, so a lot of the sorry kind of negates itself in a fatherly rage, and third of all, you should know better then to let Hinata sleep with you, even if you were in a hospital bed." said Hiashi with his arms still folded.

"But how did you find out about the other two times?" asked Naruto with shock.

"I have my sources..." said Hiashi as he took a threatening step towards Naruto.

Naruto shook his head, and noted his surroundings.

Naruto made a quick maneuver around Hiashi, and ran to the right side of the bed, clinging to Hinata's unconscious form.

"Don't touch her!" exclaimed Hiashi as he limped his way quickly over to Naruto.

Before Naruto could react, three figures appeared between them, grabbed Naruto, and stood him up.

It was Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Iruka.

"What are you guys doing?!" exclaimed Naruto irritably.

He wanted nothing more than to be with Hinata, and they were interfering.

"Naruto, we are sorry." said Kakashi.

Naruto was surprised, they all had very emotional faces, except Iruka, who had absolutely no idea what was going on.

"Kid, Tsunade ordered me to tell her information that was pertinent to the village's survival, I HAD to tell her." said Jiraiya.

"Please just understand Naruto, for the safety of you, and everyone in this village, we need to keep secrets from people, including you." said Kakashi.

"Yeah, what they said... What did you guys keep from him anyway?" asked Iruka.

"I promised Naruto I wouldn't tell anyone, so I won't tell anyone unless I absolutely have to, and that includes you." said Jiraiya.

"Naruto hasn't made _me_ promise, so _I_ could tell you." said Kakashi.

Jiraiya conked him very hard on the head.

"How would you like to read some porn?" asked Kakashi suddenly to a very surprised Iruka.

"..."

"You had better sit down Kakashi..." said Iruka.

"Huh? Yeah sure, I love fruit salad." said Kakashi as he sat down in the chair against the wall, looking rather out of himself.

Hinata's father stood there speechless, he wasn't really so much shocked as he was confused.

"..."

Hiashi's wonder was brought to an abrupt end as he suddenly sensed movement in Hinata's bed.

He looked to see that she had just woken up, and that she looked terrible. She looked very withdrawn and sad, like a beaten puppy.

"F-father..." whispered Hinata.

Hiashi rushed to her right side but was surprised to see that Naruto had gotten to the left side of her bed long before he could get to the right side.

It didn't matter right now, he had to make sure his daughter was alright.

"Hinata, how are you feeling?" asked Hiashi.

Hinata looked away from her father and kept her eyes focused over the bedsheets on her stomach.

Naruto could see the fear and the sorrow in her eyes, it was absolutely heart-wrenching.

Naruto felt like he should be punished, even though he didn't do anything wrong. He had saved Hinata when she needed it desperately, but if he had been there sooner Hinata wouldn't have had to go through all of that trauma.

Just as Naruto was about to go upstairs and throw himself off the roof for punishment, (It easily wouldn't kill him) but Hinata's voice stopped him immediately.

"I am still pure, so you don't have to waste anymore time on me, you need to get back back to the compound." said Hinata dejectedly.

Her voice was barely audible, like a weak whisper in the wind. She was having trouble simply talking. It looked like the trauma hit her harder then Naruto thought.

What Hinata said struck Hiashi very deeply. Hinata thought that he didn't care.

"Hinata, I told you before, I am your father, and I want to be absolutely sure that you are okay." said Hiashi.

Hinata had a confused look on her face, but didn't look at her father.

She didn't understand.

_'Before? He had never talked about anything like that to me before, but I did have a dream like that though... but regardless why is he still here?'_ thought Hinata in confusion.

"I told you that I am pure, so why else would you care?" asked Hinata.

Hiashi looked as though he had been struck very hard in the face.

Kakashi shook his head and got up from his chair to interject.

"Your father cares very deeply about you..." said Kakashi as he moved towards her.

Hinata's eyes went wide as she suddenly screamed rather loudly.

Hinata began to freak out in her bed, trying to get as far away from Kakashi as possible while screaming her head off.

Kakashi stopped moving immediately, he saw the fear in her eyes, the same fear he saw the night she was the victim of attempted rape.

Hinata had gotten out of bed, and was clinging to Naruto, trying to hide behind him for dear life.

Naruto was incredibly surprised at first, but after a few seconds, he stroked her hair and told her everything was alright.

"It's just Kakashi, he's your friend, he wouldn't hurt you." assured Naruto with a worried and confused look on his face.

Hinata meekly peered at Kakashi from behind Naruto.

"I told you before that if you played your cards right, you would have a new relative..." said Kakashi, trying to get her to remember their earlier conversation.

Hinata thought about what he said for a second, and remembered that Kakashi had told her that he was her friend.

Hinata got out from behind Naruto, then saw Jiraiya and Iruka. The two saw her looking at them so they smiled and waved, but she in turn screamed like a banshee.

They both got surprised and panicked looks on their faces, not knowing what was going on, or what to do.

Hinata was gripping very hard onto Naruto, just trying to keep herself away from them while she screamed.

"What the hell is going on in here?!" exclaimed Tsunade, who stormed into the room in a rush.

At Tsunade's voice, Hinata stopped screaming, but still didn't remove her face from Naruto's back.

Naruto turned around and held Hinata to his chest while she cried in fear.

"Ssshh, ssshh, everything will be alright, these men would never hurt you, they are your friends just like Kakashi sensei." assured Naruto quietly as he rubbed his hand up and down her back.

Hiashi really didn't like the fact that Naruto was hugging his daughter, but he was calming her down, so he would let it slide for now.

"What is wrong with her?" asked Hiashi.

"It seems that she reacted violently to us because we are males." said Kakashi.

Tsunade nodded gravely in understanding.

"It is Acute Stress Disorder or ASD, but if it worsens, it will become Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD, and that could be with her for the rest of her life..." said Tsunade sadly.

Naruto's eyes widened and tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Unless there is a cure administered..." said Tsunade.

Naruto's head immediately snapped in Tsunade's direction.

She had his undivided attention.

"But this situation being as it is, it may take her awhile to get adjusted back to normal even with the cure in or even just near-rape is a VERY traumatic experience." said Tsunade sadly.

Hinata breathed very deeply as she clung to Naruto, and as he rubbed her back, she became more and more relaxed.

"Hinata, that may have been a very traumatizing experience for you, be you need to understand, just because someone is a man, doesn't mean they will... try to hurt you. You just need to relax, everything will be alright, I will always be here for you..." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata immediately realized who she was clinging to, and what he had said to her.

Hinata jumped away from Naruto suddenly, earning a small sigh of relief from Hiashi after a meep from Hinata.

Naruto wondered what he had done wrong as he watched Hinata stare at the floor with her face completely flushed red.

Her mind was completely conflicted. She wanted to hide from the world so that she would never be hurt like that again, but at the same time, she wanted to be near Naruto, which would require her to go out into the world. But being near Naruto would make her constantly embarrassed and emotionally unstable, and yet happy... she wasn't sure what she should do. Go near Naruto and die of embarrassment, or stand alone in a room where she was potentially in danger.

Everyone in the room felt awful as they watched her inner-conflict, no girl should ever have to go through something like she went through, especially a girl as nice as Hinata.

Tsunade thought she would be a lot more worse for wear, but she was being very strong for how much mental stress she went through.

She deserved a better life then she had, especially for all the good she did.

Naruto looked to Tsunade, begging her to tell him the cure.

Tsunade threw Naruto a scroll with a green cover.

"Here, this scroll entails everything you will need to know." said Tsunade, being oddly vague about its contents.

Naruto merely nodded to Tsunade while pocketing the scroll. He knew its contents were important, but also knew by experience that it was probably something that should be read privately.

Naruto tried to approach Hinata again, but she kept backing away from him, making her way over to Tsunade who still stood by the door.

Naruto may be extraordinarily trustworthy, but somewhere in Hinata's mind, he was still a male to be warily watched.

_'Hinata, what is wrong with you...'_ thought Naruto worriedly.

The fact that Hinata was going away from him because of fear, made his heart throb in pain.

While Tsunade wanted to stay and comfort the Hyuuga heiress, she had plenty that she needed to be doing, she was the Hokage after all.

"Take care of her..." said Tsunade as she turned and stood in the door frame.

suddenly Tsunade stopped and turned towards everyone.

"And by the way, things are about to get very busy for you." said Tsunade as she walked out of the room without even a sign as to what she meant by that.

As soon as Tsunade left the room, all eyes fell on Hinata.

Hinata felt very uncomfortable, even though she knew she shouldn't. It wasn't so bad when another woman was in the room, but now she was stuck in a room with five men.

(poof!)

A cloud of smoke appeared and disappeared quickly, and now there were six men.

An Akatsuki member stood in the room, his Sharingan eyes seemingly staring at everyone at once.

Everyone in the room was savvy to the secret Akatsuki information, except Hinata, who was now very wary of the intimidating figure that had appeared in the room.

_'An Akatsuki cloak!!'_ thought Hinata with widened eyes.

"Ah. It appears that I am just in time. But according to the messages I left, there should be five more people here." said Itachi as he thought to himself.

Hinata was cautiously making her way back over to Naruto in a cautious manner as Itachi suddenly jerked his figure towards her.

Hinata jumped then immediately stopped moving, staring very wide-eyed at the Akatsuki member.

Itachi stood a small step forward toward Hinata, but when Itachi moved, he sensed chakra being concentrated around Naruto's form, and the slight killing intent wasn't too friendly either.

Itachi, making a smart move, merely stood where he was and decided to address her from there.

"Ah, so you have finally awoken, I hear Naruto has been waiting very patiently for you to wake up. How are you doing my dear?" asked Itachi kindly.

"..."

Hinata opened her mouth only for a second, but said nothing as she made another inconspicuous movement towards Naruto.

She may be embarrassed to be anywhere near Naruto, but she knew she would be safe there, after that incident, she was haphazardly scared of nearly every man in the village.

Itachi smiled at her, and went back to thinking to himself as he turned away from her, facing Hiashi.

Being the head of a clan, Hiashi knew of the Akatsuki information, but he still didn't like the fact that someone of his caliber stood so near him.

As Hinata continued to make her movements towards Naruto, she had time to think about what was happening.

_'An "S" class criminal just appeared in the room, and nobody cares... That is undeniably Itachi Uchiha, so they must know information I do not have...' thought Hinata as she glanced over to Naruto._

Naruto's expression didn't really reveal what he was thinking, but she was sure of one thing. Worry was not present in the Uzumaki.

_'But if Naruto isn't worried, then neither am I'_ thought Hinata as she inched herself over to Naruto.

She finally got within three feet of Naruto, and knowing she was within Naruto's defensive range, stood still, not daring to get any closer to her dream boy as she blushed about what he had said earlier.

_'Naruto said he would always be there for me! That is a huge step! But I fear if I want to get him to love me, it will be the hardest task of my life. We have gotten much closer over the past couple of our adventures together, but not as close as I would like. And now that this has happened it may be even longer before I can commit to a relationship, I will be too scared for Naruto to even hold me... I want him closer, but I'm scared for him to be there...' _thought Hinata sadly in confusion.

_'Someone hit me with a crowbar...'_ thought Hinata with a sad sigh.

"Hinata, If you are sure that you alright, I want to talk to you again as soon as your schedule allows it." said Hiashi as he left the room, feeling rather upset about what Hinata had said. Hiashi's absence reminded her of something he said to her earlier.

_'What father said before did not make sense. He said we had talked about our father/daughter relationship before, but we never have, the only time that happens is in my dreams, just like last night...'_ thought Hinata sadly as she reminded herself of how nice her dream-self had it compared to her.

_'Naruto was mine, and I was his, my Father actually loved me and understood me, Father actually said he was sorry... But that was only in my dream.'_ thought Hinata.

As Hinata thought about her depression, the door opened and in walked Neji, Ten Ten, Kurenai, and Anko.

"Ah, I was wondering if you were going to show." said Itachi.

Ten Ten and Hinata looked surprised for a second, but the rest didn't seem surprised at all.

"Itachi... are you going to tell your brother?" asked Naruto rather calmly.

Itachi smirked, but at the same time, he was saddened by Naruto's remark.

_'So Tsunade finally told him...' _thought Itachi only slightly happily.

"I am glad we are in an understanding, our last encounter was none too enjoyable." said Itachi with a slight smirk.

"Answer my question Itachi." said Naruto firmly.

_'His pure audacity is to be admired...'_ thought Itachi.

"(Sigh) I am getting to telling him, but there are other things that need to be attended to, like the mission Tsunade just assigned to me." said Itachi.

"..."

"Well why don't you get a jump on it." said Naruto flatly.

Itachi held up a scroll and rolled it open, stating the contents to everyone in the room.

"Mission requirements: Step 1: Assemble the following team: Naruto Uzumaki, Neji Hyuuga, Kurenai Yuhi, Hinata Hyuuga, Anko Mitarashi, ANBU member Yamato, Kakashi Hatake, Ten Ten, and yourself. Step 2: Take all people on list to location specified below, and brief them on mission objective, and Step 3: Don't die you raven loving fool..." said Itachi with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto almost laughed, but the appearance of Itachi had him very sober at the moment.

"Well, we are missing someone, the ANBU code-named Yamato." said Jiraiya.

"What do you mean we? You aren't apart of this group." said Itachi.

Itachi made a "follow me" motion with his hand, and the trained ninja Itachi had listed off followed without a second thought, leaving Jiraiya and Iruka alone with an unconscious nurse that even Tsunade failed to notice.

Jiraiya took one look at the girl on the floor.

"Don't you even think about it." warned Iruka warily.

* * *

The group appeared outside of the Konoha gates, and they were immediately flagged down by ANBU.

The ANBU took a card from Itachi and they nodded, and shunshined back to Konoha.

Itachi took a good look around, surprised that everyone was here, even Yamato now.

"When did you get here?" asked Anko.

"I was just standing here reading this book, but it looks as though my peace and quiet is long gone." said Yamato as he pocketed his book.

_'Tsunade has GOT to stop monitoring all of my past-times...'_ thought Yamato tiredly.

Itachi threw Yamato the mission specs, bringing him from his thoughts as he looked them over once and nodded to Itachi, throwing them back.

"Alright everyone, you are all needed for a special purpose on this mission, and I will be leading it. The mission seems to be rather simple despite the difficulty, all we need to do is find the Hyorinkage." said Itachi.

"Who is that? I've never heard of that Kage before..." said Ten Ten.

"He is the Kage of the Village Hidden in the Ice. He is known as the Ice shadow, even though that is not exactly what his title means." said Naruto.

Everyone looked at Naruto with a quirked eyebrow, except Hinata who merely blushed at him.

Itachi knew that barely anyone knew of this Kage, so that meant that Naruto must have made contact with someone from their land. If he had, then their fears may be correct.

"Naruto, how did you know that?" asked Yamato.

"Well, my newest friend is from there, he is a kind of liaison I suppose..." said Naruto thoughtfully.

"Well Naruto, we have been getting more and more reports about ninja running into people who are from the land of snow. It is just a hunch, but we believe that they may be trying to infiltrate the village's security. And it may be in connection with the sudden detection of so many powerful chakra signatures lately... they may be Jinchuriki." said Itachi.

Everyone present looked at Naruto, knowing he was not so human himself.

"Well, then if that is the case, then all we have to do is find the Hyorinkage and confront him about it." said Naruto.

"You are right... but where even is the Land of Snow?" asked Anko.

"It is northeast of the Water country, it is very hard to get to without proper guidance and transport." said Kakashi without looking up from his book.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say that you've been there before Kakashi." said Itachi.

"Yes I have been there before. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and I went there for a mission to help escort the Princess Yuki to the land of snow, and in the process, we helped save the entire land, and it experienced its first spring in a long time. But despite the temperature change while we were there, the normal climate is almost always a blizzard, so we will have to pack heavily if we want to survive the cold weather." said Kakashi.

Everyone was gawking at Naruto and Kakashi.

Naruto grinned a bit as he rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"You liberated an entire land?!" exclaimed Ten Ten.

"Yep, we did, but that is irrelevant, we need to get ready to go on this trip. So should we use the standard five minutes?" asked Kakashi as he looked up to Itachi.

"This is not a rushed mission, so we do not need to be in a hurry. I will give you all a half hour to get your equipment." said Itachi.

"Starting... now." said Itachi calmly.

Everyone shunshined away to their respective homes to get their equipment, except Yamato and Itachi.

"Why didn't you go?" asked Itachi.

"I am always ready to go anywhere." said Yamato calmly.

Without a second thought, Itachi replied.

"Even the downstairs of your mother?" asked Itachi.

"What?" asked Yamato.

"Nothing..." muttered Itachi.

(Very awkward _"We-are-the-only-two-guys-in-the-whole-freaking-woods"_ silence.)

* * *

Naruto appeared in the side of his home, falling through the concrete wall with a painful crunching sound.

_'Have to remember, do not try to shunshin inside without a chosen path...'_ thought Naruto as he quickly dusted off the rubble.

Naruto grabbed all of the essentials he knew he would need, and jumped back out onto the roof of his apartment.

_'Well, that only took about... 30 seconds...' _thought Naruto as he tapped his foot.

"..."

"Maybe I should check up on Hinata..." muttered Naruto.

Hinata's reactions to him had Naruto worried. Why was she staying away from him in the hospital room? Why was she so jumpy?

_'I just have to let her know everything will be alright, and that she has to let me know what is wrong so that I can help fix whatever it is. Hinata must be very stirred up after what happened, but before that even happened, Hinata came to Tsunade in tears! I have to get her to tell me what made her cry so that I can kiss it better.' _thought Naruto with a slight smile, knowing he was about to see Hinata.

Even though it probably wasn't going to be a pleasant meeting, Naruto always felt happier knowing he was going to see Hinata and in his mind it involved the word kiss.

_'I can't wait to experience another kiss like our first one...' _thought Naruto eagerly as he jumped to the nearest rooftop, and started heading to Hinata.

* * *

Naruto made his way across Konoha to the Hyuuga compound. It wasn't really that far, it was about a minute if you used rooftops. That was a fact he was sure Hiashi despised entirely.

Naruto stopped on the nearest rooftop before reaching the compound, he was smarter than to stroll right in.

He peered over the side of the roof to see ten times more guards than usual, and he could easily guess why.

He thought it was a bit much. There were twenty men just at the gate, but of course they weren't much compared to the 3400 Hyuuga members that made up the entire Hyuuga clan.

Naruto knew that people with the Byakugan could see through most genjutsus, so he would have to be careful when he made his approach.

Naruto used his illusion powers to henge himself as a bird. He made it a fairly large duck so it would be easier to henge himself into it. He thought a duck would be appropriate to take flight this time of the year.

He took a few steps back, and sprinted across the rooftop and jumped off, using wind-element chakra to make sheet-like wings cover his already existing ones.

He glided over the Hyuuga compound, circling around to get to the side where Hinata's room laid in wait.

As he went over the Main Branch's Hyuuga garden, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.

He looked to see that a kunai with a string attached to it had been lodged in between his diaphragm and his lungs.

Naruto suddenly felt himself get pulled down towards the ground at a great speed.

Naruto closed his eyes and braced for impact with the ground, but the impact never came, he opened his eyes to see the face of Hiashi Hyuuga looking down at him. He felt the soft fabric of Hiashi's sleeves as the Hyuuga Lord held him up from the ground.

_'This is probably the last person I wanted to run into, but maybe he can help me.'_ thought Naruto hopefully.

"Ah. Excellent, you will make a fine stew." said Hiashi contently as he carried Naruto into the house.

"I will make a fine _what_?! I mean... squawk!" exclaimed Naruto.

Hiashi looked down at the bird in his arms.

_'I'm REALLY sure that I need some sleep...'_ thought Hiashi as he shook his head.

"If I continue to hallucinate like this, I might get the impulse to start drinking... maybe that impulse runs in the family..." mumbled Hiashi as he headed to the kitchen.

Hiashi walked into the kitchen, and yanked the kunai from the duck, laying the kunai on the table.

Hiashi then slammed Naruto down onto the cutting board table.

Naruto didn't like where this was going.

Hiashi took out a butcher knife from the cabinet underneath the cutting board.

Naruto REALLY didn't like where this was going.

The duck's eyes widened as the knife came down.

The duck rolled himself from the cutting board just in time as the knife barely missed his left wing.

Naruto flailed himself towards Hinata's bedroom door, and after he got there he tried to figure out a way to get in while Hiashi made his way around the the kitchen table.

Naruto tried to weasel himself through the crack in the door, but it was closed and he didn't have the height to reach the knob.

As he tried to shimmy himself up the side of the door, he felt a firm hand grab his leg.

Hiashi held Naruto up to his face.

"You are a frisky fellow, that ensures that your meat will be lean. Now, be a good little birdy and let me decapitate you." said Hiashi as he violently hacked away at the bird in his hand.

Naruto had to flail in a coordinated fashion in order to dodge all of his swipes.

After Hiashi finally lowered the blade, Naruto hung from Hiashi's hand, panting heavily as he eyed Hiashi's knife-wielding-hand.

Hiashi's eyes widened after he stopped hacking at the bird.

"You are a very amazing bird, you must be a trained ninja's bird for you to be so skilled, I had better not eat you." said Hiashi with a thoughtful look.

Hiashi walked down the hall with Naruto in tow as he opened up a closet, pulling out a cage as he set Naruto into it, locking the cage.

_'Oh great, now I'm a pet...' _thought Naruto in exasperation.

Hiashi walked back into the kitchen with the cage, then to Naruto's surprise, he walked him into Hinata's room.

Naruto was very disappointed to see that Hinata wasn't there, she had probably already packed and left.

Hiashi went up to Hinata's coat rack which sat on the far left side of the room opposite of her bed. Naruto really wished he had seen the coat rack the last time he was here...

Hiashi reached up and hung Naruto's cage on the topmost hook as he thought aloud to himself.

"There you go, Hinata will take good care of you, but until then, I will send you someone to take care of that wound." said Hiashi as he left Naruto alone in the room.

_'And he talks to ducks... nice...' _thought Naruto.

Naruto was about to break out of the cage when he heard a soft sigh come from somewhere in the room.

Suddenly Hinata got up from under her bed, and rushed to lock her door.

Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail so that it wouldn't get messed up while she was under the bed.

_'She had time to put her hair into a pony tail before Hiashi walked in?! God that's HOT!'_ thought Naruto almost too excitedly.

Hinata felt secure in her room, it was one of the only places that she now felt totally secure because it was so secluded and familiar to her. She knew that she could be safe in her own room.

While Hinata locked her door and went back over to her bed, Naruto quickly healed his wound with some of the Kyuubi's chakra.

Hinata undid her hair, and shook it back and forth to put it back into place.

_'That's Really HOT!!!!!'_ thought Naruto as he practically drooled.

Hinata then walked over to her dresser, naturally swaying her hips as she picked up a kunai from on top of her dresser, and pocketed it into her weapons pouch.

_'Really REALLY HOT!!!!!'_ thought Naruto.

Hinata bent over to rummage through her dresser.

_'Oh god I don't think I can take much more of this!!!'_ thought Naruto as he started to become very hot and bothered.

Hinata then began to undo her jacket.

_'It's okay, she probably just wants to change into a cleaner jacket...'_ thought Naruto.

Hinata then reached back into her shirt and undid her bra.

_'HOLY CRAP!!!' _thought Naruto as he jumped out of the cage, landing on the soft lavender carpet, back in his human form.

He was going to tell her that he was in the room so that she would stop, but she already took her bra out of her shirt.

Naruto blushed deeply then quickly turned around, casually leaning on the coat rack as he crossed his legs at the ankles.

_'Daishi, dead puppies, Nuns...'_ thought Naruto as he calmed himself down.

He was no longer aroused in his mind, but now for some reason he felt very mad, then sad, then slightly religious...

After those emotions passed, Naruto intently listened to Hinata's movements, which only aroused him further.

He heard pants hit the floor, he heard what must have been her panties hitting the floor. He wasn't even looking at her and he was getting aroused again.

Naruto bit his hand harshly and focused on the pain, causing him to calm down again.

Now all he had to do was wait for Hinata to finish.

As he stood there waiting, he wondered if she knew he was there, and that she was just toying with him. He didn't think that was the case, especially after how she acted towards him in the hospital. So Naruto patiently waited, not making a sound.

He heard the sound of Hinata's jacket zipping up.

Naruto turned around and walked forward, Hinata had not once faced towards Naruto's side of the room when she dressed, that was very weird. But Naruto was not one to judge one so beautiful anyway.

Naruto got within one foot behind Hinata, then just stood there. He figured that she would acknowledge his presence eventually.

Hinata finally took out a duffel bag from under her bed, stuffing her provisions into it as she zipped it up.

"There, I'm all set." said Hinata with a nod.

Hinata stood up, then went back to her dresser, opening up the wall behind it, revealing a mirror that she could use to straighten her hair.

Hinata's eyes widened as she saw Naruto standing inches away from her, with her duffel bag strapped to his right shoulder.

Hinata was completely speechless, she had absolutely no idea how to react to Naruto's sudden appearance.

"Hey Hinata, you ready to go? I was bored and came over to see if you were ready as well." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata was still in shock.

"Hinata? You okay there Hinata?" asked Naruto as he gently poked her in the back.

His mere touch caused her entire body to shiver, which shook her from her stupor.

"I am fine..." mumbled Hinata very quietly.

Naruto nodded with a smile, but kept a wary eye on her now much more extremely meek personality.

"Okay then, let's get going." said Naruto as he grabbed her hand.

Hinata blushed as he practically pulled her outside through her window.

Naruto landed on the Hyuuga well-kept and flourishing green lawn. He looked around to see if he saw anyone.

_'Weird... What happened to all of the guards?'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto turned back towards the house to see that there were over 50 guards behind him with Jyuuken fists pointed threateningly in his direction.

Naruto whipped around to try escape, but on his other side were more than 60 guards with familiar threatening stances present.

He was surrounded, and he was sure that with the Byakugan there would be a lot more guards coming his way, including Hiashi if he didn't get out of the compound quickly.

Naruto bent into a low stance, and clenched his fists.

Suddenly Naruto let out a low pitch growl that sounded suspiciously like a very familiar Bijuu. Recognizing the sound, most of the guards backed away in surprise and fear as the memories of the Kyuubi's attack flooded back into their minds.

_**"Nice one. Very traumatic and dramatic at the same time. Barbaric, but effective none the less."**_ commented Kyuubi with an approving smirk.

Naruto took the chance of their distraction while he could, ignoring the demon's comment for now, but taking note of it.

He shunshined Hinata away, leaving the Hyuuga compound before they could be seen by someone whom Naruto knew would be less then friendly if he saw him.

Naruto landed outside the Hyuuga walls. He made sure to keep his footing on the roof of a civilian across the street as he landed.

Naruto turned to make sure Hinata was alright, checking to see if Hinata was alright, aside from the fact that she was red in the face.

_'That's normal...' _thought Naruto.

* * *

Hiashi was enjoying a good scone and some hot coffee as he sat down in the guest dining room, which, he had to admit, was way too big. There was over 20 feet of space between the table and the wall on both sides, while the table, being about 30 yards in length, took up the middle of the room. Hiashi sat at one end of the table, feeling very awkward and a little alone.

"(Sigh), well at least the room is well lit with all these windows..." said Hiashi with a content small smile.

Hiashi looked out one of the windows to his right to see that there was some movement on top of one of the neighboring houses.

"(Sigh) I thought I told those people not to stand on their roofs, they could fall, and they are not ninja." said Hiashi.

Hiashi got up with a sigh as Neji rushed in the door, his pack in tow.

"Going somewhere?" asked Hiashi.

Hiashi's voice wasn't interrogative, just curious.

"I have a mission to attend to, and so does Hinata." said Neji as he awkwardly stood at the door.

Neji wanted to get to the medicine cabinet in the next room where kept the condoms, but now he wouldn't be able to get them.

"A mission for her? So soon? Doesn't that seem wrong?" asked Hiashi.

"No, Tsunade-sama said that she needed to be introduced to her fears as soon as possible so that she could overcome them. Besides, this mission requires at least two strong doujutsus with scanning capabilities at long range." said Neji.

_'Well, it should be alright, as long as the mission is within Konoha. I should be safe to assume that Tsunade wouldn't be incompetent enough to send her away from Konoha when Hinata's Bijuu is so close to awakening, especially when I've just completed the preparations for the ritual.' _thought Hiashi confidently.

"Okay, it is for the best then... speaking of the Byakugan, can you tell me who is on the roof over there?" asked Hiashi politely.

Neji nodded and turned to where Hiashi was pointing.

He didn't need to use his Byakugan to know who it was.

_'Uncle's eyesight is getting bad these days.'_ thought Neji.

"It is Naruto and Hinata." said Neji, warily watching Hiashi's reaction.

Hiashi stiffened for a moment then began to breath deeply as he closed his eyes.

_'Relax, Hinata needs interaction, even if it is with him...'_ thought Hiashi as he calmed down a bit.

"What are they doing?" asked Hiashi.

"I cannot tell you where they are going, but they came from this direction..." said Neji.

Neji paused for a moment to try and find the right words to say, but he couldn't think of anything. Based on what he saw that night in Hinata's room, there was a strong possibility that they were "being friendly" in Hinata's room. Neji just needed to find a way to tell his uncle without him freaking out.

_'Maybe if I am more indirect...'_ thought Neji.

He tried to think of the most cautious way to approach the matter.

"They were probably... you know... hoppin the sac."

Hiashi had a confused look on his face.

"Rockin the boat?"

Still nothing from Hiashi but a cocked eyebrow.

"Mutual motion?"

"Testing the suspension?"

"Baking the cookies?"

"Doin' da dirty?"

"Changing the sheets?"

Neji stopped for a moment to see if he got the idea.

"I... don't follow..." said Hiashi.

"Slapping skin?"

"Giving the green light?"

"Shakin' da shackles?"

"Warming the goods?"

"Creamin' da cave?"

"Driving the bed?"

"Laying Skivvy Hopscotch?"

"Skivvy what now?!" exclaimed Hiashi incredulously.

"The beast with two backs?"

"Laying the lady?"

"Plowing more than snow?"

"She's raking more than leaves?"

"..."

"Bow chika bow wow?"

"..."

Hiashi looked utterly confused.

"So what they are doing has something to do with automobiles and boats; linen and beds; shackles and manual labor?" asked Hiashi with a confused face.

"(Sigh)"

"I was trying to say that they might have been having sexual intercourse..." said Neji.

"Oh. Alright then..."

_'3...2...1...'  
_

"WHAT?!?!?!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Hiashi quickly stood up from his seat, grabbed his chest with his hand.

"Ahck!!!" exclaimed Hiashi.

Hiashi fell to the floor unconscious.

Neji sweat dropped.

Suddenly a guard came rushing into the kitchen with panic on his face.

"Hiashi-sama! We have a..." said the guard, his eyes widening as he saw Hiashi's body on the floor.

"Problem." said Neji with a sigh.

* * *

Shikamaru sat on top of the Hokage tower, among the many seats that occupied the roof top.

"(Sigh) Everything that has happened lately is absolutely crazy..." muttered Shikamaru.

"Okay, I should list everything of to get it straight." said Shikamaru with a sigh.

"The Village Hidden in the Clouds unknowingly changed their name to lightning despite the fact that the Village itself is extremely famous, Naruto made friends with the Raikage, who is now dating Kiba. There is a conspiracy going on involving the Akatsuki, the organization that is trying to get Naruto and all other Jinchuriki, and Naruto is now working with them despite the fact that he and Hinata are Jinchuriki. The Hyuuga elders are pricks, and Daishi is an asshole, Naruto is now in the savvy circle of secrets, even if not all of the way. Ino, despite her name, is a skinny girl who ironically likes Chouji, who is a chubby person, which is more fitting towards her name. And Naruto is not only a Jinchuriki, but is also part fox demon now..." said Shikamaru tiredly.

"..."

"For once, I actually need a drink..." said Shikamaru with a sigh.

Suddenly a cup of Sak'e appeared at his right, held by an arm endowed with loose green sleeves.

"Welcome to the dark side..." said Tsunade with a smile.

Shikamaru snagged the cup from her, and downed it as quickly as possible.

"(Sigh) slowly but surely... I am becoming my father..." said Shikamaru as he gripped his head.

Tsunade laughed heartily as she hefted him from the ground.

"Come on you newbie bar drunk, lets get you back to work, we have a few more regulations to curve out before the day is out." said Tsunade with a smile.

"(Sigh) fine... so troublesome..." said Shikamaru, his smile betraying his words.

* * *

The ceiling seemed dark, and so did the aura of the rest of the room, just like usual.

The only lights came from from the sparse windows and each individual charcoal grill that was incorporated into every table.

This was easily Chouji's favorite place to eat.

Chouji was enjoying himself greatly, taking in the tastes and smells of the restaurant.

Chouji ate almost ritualistically, enjoying every single morsel in every aspect possible.

To Chouji, good food was like crack... in a way.

As he ate, he suddenly noticed a figure walking from the darker side of the restaurant, her long pony tail dangling back in forth provocatively as she walked, getting ever closer to the Akimichi.

He had no idea why he was suddenly getting so nervous and sweaty... maybe it was the prolonged exposure to the charcoal grill and rotisserie...

The woman walked over to Chouji, and casually sat down, looking rather unusual. Her usually bossy and confidently beautiful self was lacking its normality. She didn't walk or act with her usual confidence, she was, for lack of a better word, nervous. She was nervous about something, that was all that he could gather.

After she sat down in the booth, Chouji merely looked at her, expecting her to strike up a conversation like she usually did, but the conversation never came. Something was definitely off. She didn't even look him in the eye; it was as though she had done something wrong that involved him, and she looked guilty about it.

Well, if he ever wanted to find out what was bothering her, now would be a good a time as ever.

"Hello Ino." said Chouji for starters.

Ino merely nodded, but kept her vision locked on her lap.

The last time Ino acted like this, was when Sasuke had betrayed the Village and left for Orochimaru. Ino was very sad when that happened, her long-time crush, gone forever. But this time was different, she wasn't sad, she was just... weird.

Aside from Ino's nod, she didn't respond to anything he said, but she looked as though she wanted to talk very badly.

"Ino, are you okay?" asked Chouji with a worried look.

Ino nodded almost too quickly and seemed bothered by Chouji's casualty as he flipped a few pieces of meat that were ready to have their other side cooked.

Chouji sighed.

"Look Ino, if you have something to say, just say it, I do not appreciate you keeping something from me like this. I don't know what it is, but it is obvious that it involves me, so just spill it and get it over with." said Chouji almost irritably.

Ino flinched at his directness, and her eyes were widened in surprise. She opened her mouth to speak, but her hands clenched below the table and she closed her mouth again.

Ino bravely looked up at Chouji for a second to see that he was giving her an expecting look.

Ino blushed and looked down at her lap. She was trying her best to say what she wanted to say, but she figured it would be easier if she didn't have to look directly at him.

When she opened her mouth to speak again, she found that her words would not cooperate with her as she sat there with her mouth hung open.

She nearly jumped out of her clothes when she felt a warm, wet, and juicy object quickly enter her mouth.

She snapped her head up quickly to see that Chouji had put a piece of meat in her mouth with his chopsticks.

She blushed as she closed her mouth, enjoying the meaty morsel while blushing greatly at how awkward this seemed.

"If you aren't going to talk at a dinner table, then you might as well be eating something." said Chouji with a small smile which betrayed his concern.

Ino looked up at Chouji to find that he was still patiently awaiting for her to talk to him.

This was it, it was now or never, she made up her mind, she was going to tell him and that was that.

Chouji sighed inwardly.

_'If she isn't going to say anything, then I should just think to myself to at least enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant.'_ thought Chouji.

As he sat there in the bar, vaguely listening to others talk, something struck his ears that really bothered him greatly.

"But what if he was bluffing, should we kill him?"

The voice came from the other side of the bar, from to shady looking men who appeared to be chunnin level shinobi.

"Let's not be too hasty, certainly his death would bring ease to many shinobi and villagers alike, but what he said was extremely difficult to... understand. What he told us provided no profit to himself by telling us so, so it is doubtful that is was a lie."

Chouji listened very carefully now, aware that a conspiracy might be taking place within the walls of Konoha... big surprise...

"But think about who said it to us, the legendary Sannin himself..."

Chouji's eyes widened.

They must have been talking about Jiraiya, who was the only male Sannin that could possibly be in Konoha at the moment.

"Yes, but he is known to be very tricky, manipulating people to get what he wants, maybe he was telling the truth... No, it still doesn't make since, he wanted our help because he said we were the first Shinobi he saw, and when we talked to him, he seemed rather desperate..."

"True, but it could all be part of an elaborate plan to get us to do his bidding."

"But what bidding?! There is absolutely no way he could profit from this if we helped him unless he was telling the truth, if we took him where we wanted to take him, insuring his safety, then he would be heavily guarded anyways right?"

"I don't know what we should do..."

"..."

The table the two men sat at became eerily quiet, the only sounds during that moment being the charcoal hissing when a drop of juice from a steak fell from the rotisserie. Chouji thought he heard Ino talking, but based on how she had been acting lately, that was not likely, so he continued to listen into their conversation.

"We should let Tsunade know." said the man firmly.

When the man finally spoke up the other man nodded, but put his hand on the other man's shoulder.

"Keep in mind though, what would happen if we were to tell Tsunade right now..." said the man gravely.

The other man looked puzzled for a moment, but then suddenly looked shocked, as though he realized or remembered something of great importance.

The man merely nodded tiredly.

"Okay, we will wait a day, then drop off the information anonymously, so that no one will be at fault..." said the man.

The two suddenly disappeared, leaving Chouji to suddenly stand up, a sense of urgency in his movements.

Ino nearly fell out of her seat in surprise at Chouji's movement.

She had no idea what the movement meant. Was it in response to what she said? She had finally said what she wanted to say, and was begging to see a positive reaction from Chouji. But instead, he stood up, with a very serious if not angry look on his face.

"I must go, I have things to do." said Chouji as he abruptly left Ino to stare at the meat he had left on the grill.

Ino's eyes widened, Chouji NEVER left a meal unfinished. Was he really that disgusted with what she said, that he had to leave like that?

As Chouji bounded across the rooftops above, Ino still sat in the restaurant, her tears making the charcoals hiss loudly every time they dropped.

* * *

Today seemed especially dark. He wasn't sure why, but it just did, like the forthcoming of something big in his life.

Although, what happened with Sakura the other day was tearing at his heart.

At least, that's what he figured the feeling was.

He wasn't good at feelings yet, he had a while to go before he would be fully capable of understanding the newer ones he was experiencing.

Especially love, love was the most complex feeling he had ever tried to comprehend.

But he was an Uchiha; surely he would easily achieve the task...

Right?

"..."

Getting no answer from the audience, Sasuke decided to try and forget the past, to look ahead...

(BAM!)

Sasuke hit his head on a broken street sign.

_'For having the Sharingan, I can really be blind... Blind to this street sign, blind to Naruto's friendship, and blind to Sakura...' _thought Sasuke with a depressed aura that seemed to exude off of him.

He walked through his district, finding nobody to be there, just as he expected.

He made his way out of the gates of his clan's section of the village, and walked down the street, until he saw someone that made his eyes bulge from their sockets.

A very tall figure was making his way towards him, his hair was a very odd spiky shape, along with the color of his hair and skin. Although his face looked ferocious, his demeanor said otherwise.

As the figure got closer, Sasuke realized just how intimidating this person was, of course, he had already met this person once before. But that one meeting was enough to remember his face forever, he was partners with his brother, Itachi Uchiha.

Kisame Hoshigaki was walking towards him in a very carefree manner, until he locked eyes with the Uchiha, then he got a very thoughtful look on his face.

_'I'm not supposed to run into him, this isn't good...'_ thought Kisame.

"Well, if it isn't the spitting image." said Kisame with a toothy smile.

"Where is he?" asked Sasuke immediately, his eyes accidentally giving off his emotional anger.

Kisame suddenly stopped smiling.

"Who?" asked Kisame.

Sasuke was about to kick his ass, but then he realized by looking at his face, that he was being completely serious.

Kisame wasn't playing dumb as far as he could tell.

"My brother." seethed Sasuke through his teeth.

"Which one?"

Okay now he was just messing with him...

"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHICH ONE!!!" exclaimed Sasuke impatiently.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't know you or your family well enough to know who you are talking about." said Kisame, his face still as serious as ever.

Sasuke calmed down a bit a took a deep breath.

"Where is Itachi?" asked Sasuke.

"..."

"Itachi who?"

Sasuke almost ripped his hair out, but he liked his hair, so he didn't. Instead he just gave him a mean look.

"...Oh! That Itachi! You do a good impression of him." said Kisame with a chuckle.

Sasuke was obviously not amused.

"Well, if you want to know where he is, I would have to say that I don't exactly know at the moment." said Kisame.

"Don't lie to me, you always know where he is, he's your partner!" exclaimed Sasuke.

"Woah! woah! I maybe a fish man who has a very hard time with the ladies, but Itachi isn't my partner! I'm not even gay!" exclaimed Kisame suddenly looking extremely flustered.

"(Sigh) I meant your partner in the Akatsuki..." said Sasuke, still warily observing his movements.

"Oh... Well, okay then. (Clears throat) But just because he is my partner in the Akatsuki, doesn't mean I always know where he is! He has a life too you know, he has a home, and a girlfriend, and that's just in Konoha." said Kisame, trying to defend his partner's reputation.

But as soon as Kisame said the word Konoha, and he saw Sasuke's eyes grow wide, he realized he had made a horrible mistake.

"Um... What I meant to say was... um..." said Kisame while trying to think of a good tactic to use, but none came to mind.

"Um... moo?"

Sasuke whisked past Kisame, heading straight for the Hokage tower.

_'Damn! It worked for Itachi...'_ thought Kisame.

"Oh crap! Sasuke wait!" exclaimed Kisame as he began to chase after young Uchiha.

* * *

Naruto had completely checked over Hinata to find that she had no physical injuries. The entire examination, Hinata seemed to insist on clenching hands and her eyes shut while her skin colors constantly changed depending on where he checked.

_'There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her body, so that means that something is wrong with her mind... I shouldn't be surprised, after my little chakra outburst I had during that sealing, I'm surprised that I don't think I'm a leprechaun...'_ thought Naruto.

_'She came to Tsunade, crying her eyes out... And it was about me. What could I have done in between the time I woke up to being stabbed, to waking up in the hospital... I didn't even do anything involving her during that time. So what was it? Did she hear something about me? Did somebody tell her... one of my darker secrets?!'_ thought Naruto as he raced over the possibilities.

Naruto was entirely stressing himself out, and he wasn't even sure what was wrong.

"N-Naruto?" asked Hinata meekly.

Naruto shook himself from his thinking to see that Hinata was looking at him out of the corner of her eye while darting her line of sight from Naruto to the ground.

"Y-you have been s-s-staring..." muttered Hinata much too quietly.

He still heard her, but only because he had giant furry ears under his hat. He seriously doubted any normal human would have been able to hear her.

Naruto blushed and looked at the ground.

"Sorry, I was just thinking is all." said Naruto sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.

Hinata muttered something too soft for him to even hear, but he was good at reading lips.

"Alright, we should be heading back." said Naruto with a nod.

Naruto jumped forward to the next roof, noticing that Hinata stayed extraordinarily close to him, but no matter how he moved she simply refused to be in front of him.

Naruto decided to test a theory...

Right as Naruto landed on the next roof, he stopped for a split second, allowing Hinata to get a ahead of him by a few feet. As soon as Hinata was ahead of Naruto, she immediately slowed down enough to be directly behind him again.

_'Hm... What if...'_ thought Naruto.

On the next roof, as soon as his foot caught ground, he jettisoned himself two roofs forward. Naruto looked back to see the immediate panic on her face.

She rushed as fast as she could to catch up to him. Her movements seemed very unorganized and rushed as she caught up to him, making sure to be close to him, while staying behind him.

On the next roof, Naruto stopped dead, and so did Hinata.

But suddenly Naruto whipped around, surprising Hinata who didn't have time to step away from him.

She was less than one foot away.

_'So she wants to be close to me so that she feels protected, but not in front of me because when I look at her, it makes her nervous...'_ thought Naruto as he observed her nervously twiddle her fingers.

**_"Wow, you're not as dumb as people portray you."_** said Kyuubi with a smile.

"I will take that as a compliment." said Naruto.

Naruto realized that he had said that aloud. He also realized that Hinata must have misinterpreted what he said, because her eyes were growing wide in surprise.

"W-what?" muttered Hinata as she blushed.

_'He noticed my closeness?'_ thought Hinata as she continued to blush.

"Come on Hinata, we have to get back to... Itachi..." said Naruto.

Saying Itachi's name in such a casual manner seemed odd to him, he still didn't fully trust the Uchiha, but he would play along with being his comrade, for now...

"R-right..." muttered Hinata.

Naruto jumped forward to the next rooftop, noticing that Hinata stayed exactly one foot farther back. It wasn't much, but it was enough for Naruto to notice.

_'She realized that I recognized her emotions...'_ thought Naruto.

He really wanted to know what he had done wrong to make her cry, but he couldn't just outright ask her.

First off, if he asked her why she came to Tsunade crying, then she would know that Tsunade told her secret to him.

Second off, even he did steer around the fact that he knew, how wouldn't she know that he knew the secret? If he asked what was wrong with her aside from her rape experience, she would immediately be suspicious as to how he knew there was another problem.

Third off, even if he somehow got the answer from her without raising suspicion, how would he go about asking her if he was the cause?

_'I always seem to put myself in hard situations...'_ thought Naruto.

**_"Hard Situations? Like in your pants hard?" _**asked Kyuubi innocently with a smirk.

_'Oh, ha ha...'_ thought Naruto sarcastically.

* * *

Tsunade was enjoying her chocolate strawberries, but Shizune took away her perfect vintage Sak'e.

_'I've got to find better hiding places than my usual spots...'_ thought Tsunade with a sigh.

She couldn't really complain though, the strawberries she got from Jiraiya were very juicy and good, while the chocolate fondue set looked very expensive.

"I will have to thank him later, he is being very good, and plus, I haven't heard any complaints from the bath houses..." said Tsunade.

That made Tsunade realize something.

If Jiraiya wasn't looking at women... then he was probably doing it under the table.

Tsunade stood up from her desk, and walked down the stairs.

As she went by the receptionist, she gave him a verbal message.

"Tell Shizune I will be out on a very important matter, and that it is not drinking." said Tsunade.

"Okay." said the receptionist.

The voice she heard flew back from her not-so-distant striking a chill down her spine.

She quickly turned to see that Tyler was standing behind the receptionist counter with a rather large sword being balanced and twirled on his index finger.

She was almost too shocked to see him, but she realized that he worked for her after all, and that he should be fine. After all, the research he obtained from this village was harmless no matter who he gave it to. He hadn't committed any crimes as far as she was concerned.

"Stop showing off!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Tyler looked up from some papers he was reading while still spinning the sword.

"Showing... off? What does that mean?" asked Tyler innocently.

"It means that you are show-boating." said Tsunade.

"What is that?" asked Tyler.

"You are showing your skills when they do not need to be shown." said Tsunade.

"What skills?" asked Tyler, a confused look on his face.

Tsunade was patient, but only to a point.

"You are spinning that huge sword with one finger!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Tsunade stormed out of the tower.

_'God what a show-off! I could easily do that, its no big deal!' _thought Tsunade as stormed off in the direction of the hot springs.

Tyler observed her rant, then looked to his hand to see that he was spinning a sword.

_'I have to stop doing that without thinking, otherwise I may decapitate someone when I'm filing papers...'_ thought Tyler sheepishly.

* * *

Tsunade got to the top of the cliff near the hot springs, and sure enough, there was Jiraiya, looking at some girls playing in the water near the waterfall.

Tsunade decided to not conk him just yet, she would wait a little bit before she did that.

Jiraiya was looking through his telescope at the girls, but Tsunade couldn't see his face.

After about a minute, Jiraiya suddenly turned to his note-pad which sat on his right, and he began to write down something on the paper.

Tsunade wasn't startled that he was actually writing down his research instead of just gawking at the girls. She was actually startled by how serious his face was.

Jiraiya continued to write down things, then he erased them, and divided them into three separate columns.

Tsunade noted the changed, and also read the paper from where she was standing.

She was surprised, the notes weren't perverted, there were just... observant.

Jiraiya picked up his telescope, and began to watch the girls again.

Suddenly, one of the girls tripped and fell to the shallow water.

All of the girls stopped and put their hands to their mouths, but then they laughed once they knew she was alright.

Jiraiya noted this, as well as the position the girls took when they helped her up.

As Jiraiya picked up his telescope and put it to his eye, he suddenly spoke, startling Tsunade.

"Are you going to just stand there, gawking at me all day, or do you have something to say?" asked Jiraiya.

Now that she had seen Jiraiya's actual research, and it wasn't what she thought it would be, she lost all of the steam of her anger.

"I was just checking up on you, to see how you are doing." said Tsunade casually.

"That's interesting, usually you wouldn't give a damn." said Jiraiya, his expression was uncaring and serious.

This hurt Tsunade on the inside.

_'He thinks that I don't care?'_ thought Tsunade.

"Jiraiya, that's not a nice thing to say..." said Tsunade with a hurt tone.

"It's true. Usually after I risk my life to trail the Akatsuki and track Orochimaru, I come back to you, and give you the report. But do I get a thank you? Or a nice to see you're alive Jiraiya? No. you just take the report and shoo me away. Either that or you punch me out of a window or through a wall." said Jiraiya, not once looking away from the waterfall.

Tsunade choked before speaking again.

"You were always so perverted with me! I didn't want to be anywhere near you!" exclaimed Tsunade in defense.

"(Sigh) Tsunade, I would leave for a very long time without seeing a single person that wasn't an enemy, let alone a beautiful woman. So when I got back, what did you expect me to act like? I am perverted in nature Tsunade! It's who I am. I'm sorry but I can't help but look at you in that manner." said Jiraiya, his face not giving away his emotions.

Now Tsunade felt like a heel, but at the same time, she didn't know whether to be offended, or flattered at the fact that he was attracted to her.

"Jiraiya... Do you only like me because I'm... busty?" asked Tsunade.

Jiraiya blinked once, but continued to look through his telescope.

"Tsunade, I fell in love with you when you were flat-chested." laughed Jiraiya.

Tsunade gasped and her eyes widened.

"B-but... but that was over 40 years ago!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"I know, I was there then, and I'm here now. I always left my door open for you Tsunade, in case you were ever interested, but you never took to me until now, why the sudden change of heart?" asked Jiraiya.

Tsunade paused for a moment to think.

"Because I um.. because um..." mumbled Tsunade as she blushed a bit.

Jiraiya turned from his research to see something he thought he would never see.

Tsunade was stuttering and she was blushing.

"Oh. My. God! You think I'm sexy!!!" exclaimed Jiraiya as he pointed at her dramatically.

Tsunade almost tripped over herself.

"N-no! I mean... well yes, but um, I don't know!" exclaimed Tsunade as she bit her index finger.

Jiraiya smirked.

"You are attracted to me for some reason, but whatever the reason, I hope it is the same reason I love you so much." said Jiraiya.

Before she could respond, Jiraiya shunshined away, leaving Tsunade alone.

Tsunade clenched her fists in anger and self-confusion, then she shunshined away as well.

* * *

She arrived at the her office to see that all of her papers had been filed and put away.

"..."

She walked up to her desk and found a note.

Dear Hokage-sama, I am sorry for "showing off" or whatever you said. So to make up for it, I did this week's filing for you.

Signed sincerely, Tyler Satou

"..."

"I think I need to do some research on the Satou clan..." said Tsunade as she sat behind her desk.

Before she could even do anything, Sasuke came busting through the door, looking very livid.

"Where is Itachi?!?!" screamed Sasuke.

_'Oh crap!'_ thought Tsunade.

"Your guess is as good as mine Sasuke, so why ask me?" asked Tsunade with a crooked eyebrow.

"I know he is in Konoha! I know he is here! So tell me where he is!" shouted Sasuke.

"I said I don't know, he could be anywhere." said Tsunade, annoyance present on her voice.

"If you don't know anything about Itachi, then why were you so calm when I mentioned he was in Konoha?" asked Sasuke with a still very pissed off face.

_'He's pretty damn observant...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Itachi being in Konoha is more then likely just a rumor, so I am not worried in the least." said Tsunade.

Sasuke clenched his fists.

"YOU LIAR!!!" screamed Sasuke.

Sasuke charged forward towards Tsunade, his Sharingan blazing menacingly.

Suddenly Sasuke stopped in his tracks and gripped his stomach with both hands.

Sasuke suddenly took off in the other direction, spinning wildly before smashing into the opposing wall.

Three ANBU appeared in front of Tsunade.

"The ANBU's official belter band seems to be working fine." said the bear ANBU.

"Do not attack the Hokage, Uchiha. It is one of the worst offenses." said the hawk ANBU.

Sasuke got up from the ground, he was barely able to stand from his chakra flow being temporarily reversed.

"One of the worst?" asked Sasuke through his teeth.

"Yes, you needn't know any higher offenses, lest you be tempted to break those laws as well." said the wolf ANBU.

"It is alright, under the circumstances, his reaction was understandable." said Tsunade as she flagged them down.

The ANBU lowered their arms, and stepped aside to allow Tsunade to walk through.

Tsunade walked forward to the wall Sasuke flew through to see that he wasn't there anymore.

Her eyes widened and she spun to face the ANBU.

"Quickly! Send out a search party for Sasuke Uchiha! Bring him to me ASAP!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Hai! Hokage-sama!" said the three ANBU simultaneously as they shunshined away.

* * *

As Naruto made his way across the village, he decided to make conversation.

He turned his head to the left to speak to Hinata, but found that she wasn't there.

He turned his head to the right to see that she wasn't there either.

She was keeping on the opposite side that Naruto looked.

_'I guess I won't be talking... to Hinata anyways...' _thought Naruto.

'Kyuubi, how is the search of my brain going?' asked Naruto.

**_"Well, as far as I can tell, certain parts of your mind have been tampered with. There are pieces that have been, well, for lack of a better word... moved."_** said Kyuubi.

"Moved? What does that mean? Is that good?" asked Naruto.

**_"Good? ...No it is definitely not good. I sense a foreign chakra in your mind. I have not found a way to follow its paths, but I am working on that as we speak." _**said Kyuubi.

"Really?" asked Naruto.

Naruto peered into his mind to see Kyuubi calmly sitting in his cage, his tails randomly waving around, slowly brushing against the walls of the cell.

"You don't look like you're doing anything." complained Naruto.

**_"I may not look like I'm doing anything, but I'm actually using my chakra to search your mind. My chakra inhabits the rest of your body, including your brain. And with the little control I have, I can at least search your mind for the problem. But please, be aware, although I can't find a seal, this was someone else's doing."_** said Kyuubi.

"Someone did this to me?" exclaimed Naruto.

_**"Yes kit. It was most likely done for somebody's personal or common welfare or gain. I know it will be hard with the information you have, but begin to make a list of people that would somehow benefit from erasing your mind, preferably people who don't like you."**_ said Kyuubi.

"Okay then, let me begin the list... starting with 80% of Konoha..." muttered Naruto.

_**"(Sigh) I said it would be hard. But as always, keep an eye out for suspicious people."**_ said Kyuubi.

"Right, I will keep an eye out, although I already have enough to worry about other than you." said Naruto.

**_"By the way, you need to stop speaking aloud when you talk to me, it is really starting to become a major deficit. And by the way, the Hyuuga female is trying to talk to you."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto almost hit himself, but he thought he would look stupid in front of Hinata if he did so.

"Did you say something Hinata?" asked Naruto kindly.

"Y-you were talking t-to yourself..." muttered Hinata meekly while keeping out of Naruto's sight.

"No, I was talking to Kyuubi." said Naruto.

Hinata's eyes widened for a second at the mention of his Bijuu.

_'Hinata has a Bijuu as well, and I still have to tell her, but now would not be a good time. I should wait until she isn't so weak-minded from the... incident. God damn it I'm going to kill Daishi after all of this...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto figured that if he was going to be with Hinata, he was at least going to cheer her up.

"K-Kyuubi?" asked Hinata quietly.

"Yes, he said something about you being a great mate, whatever that means..." said Naruto casually after he gave her a shrug.

Hinata's face turned stark red, but she kept going with Naruto.

Naruto smirked, he could feel Hinata's body heat from there.

They progressed across town until they reached the designated meeting area.

Naruto landed in the clearing, finding that Itachi, Yamato, Ten Ten, Kurenai, Anko, and Kakashi were already there.

"Alright, now all we have to do is wait for Neji." said Kakashi.

"..."

A few minuted passed, and there was no sign of Neji.

"How long until we leave?" asked Naruto.

"We will leave when Neji gets here, or in 10 minutes." said Itachi.

Itachi noticed that Naruto had been watching him the entire time. He had also noticed Naruto had been keeping close track of the Hyuuga girl.

Itachi took note of this, and continued to lean up against a tree with Yamato.

Suddenly Naruto noticed a chakra signature that making very quick progression towards their location.

"Itachi, Neji is coming." said Naruto.

"About time." said Ten Ten irritably, despite the fact that she looked very anxious.

By the time Neji made it close enough to be seen, Ten Ten immediately realized something was wrong.

Neji got into the clearing and kept running on past them.

As Neji ran, he turned his head back towards the group.

"Run Ten Ten run!" exclaimed Neji hurriedly.

Ten Ten looked shocked at his hurried voice, but she immediately shot off after him.

Everyone else turned to Itachi, who nodded and they followed after them.

Itachi caught up to him, and was about to command him to stop.

Neji wasn't the leader, ergo, Itachi knew that Neji didn't know where to go.

"Lead the way, and do it quickly! I will explain later!" exclaimed Neji.

Itachi nodded to Neji then to everyone else.

They traveled for a couple a minutes, changing directions randomly before stopping near a rock formation about 10 miles out.

"Okay Hyuuga, you need to tell me what that was all about." said Itachi.

Neji stood next to a tree, leaning up against it with his forehead resting tiredly on the bark.

After a few moments, Neji caught his breathe and calmed himself down.

"Honey, what happened?" asked Ten Ten worriedly.

She walked up to him slowly, and stopped when he stood up straight and faced her.

"Well, to sum it up quickly for you, I angered certain members of my family that I really shouldn't have angered." said Neji.

Hinata's eyes widened.

"Oh Neji y-you d-didn't!" exclaimed Hinata worriedly.

"What? He didn't what!?" asked Ten Ten quickly, giving Neji a suspicious look.

"I did do it Hinata, I had to." said Neji calmly.

Neji's eyes were closed, and he was bowing his head slightly. His arms were crossed as stubbornly as Hiashi Hyuuga's.

"Why d-didn't you just r-run away? You have a g-great life to live with Ten Ten! Tsunade would have let you go if you told her!" exclaimed Hinata.

Now Ten Ten was very concerned.

"What? What?! Oh my god Neji what did you do?!" exclaimed Ten Ten with a fearful expression.

Neji ignored her, but responded to Hinata.

"They cornered me at the hospital, after Hiashi had a heart attack..." said Neji.

Everyone went quiet and didn't move.

Hinata's hands went over her mouth.

"He is fine, don't worry. But anyways Hinata, they cornered me at the hospital room, and they demanded to know what had happened to Hiashi. Then before I could explain, they threatened my life, and they tried to activate my seal, but Hanabi was able to postpone them." said Neji.

"Hanabi?!" exclaimed Hinata.

"What did they threaten to do?" asked Itachi calmly.

"They threatened to kill me this time around." said Neji

"This time around? They've threatened you before?" asked Yamato.

"Yes, when ever I am apart of something that they don't like or something that is out of their control, they threaten something precious to me so that I do as they say." said Neji with a tint of anger on his face.

"What about Hanabi?" asked Hinata worriedly.

"She is fine, she must have been listening to our conversation, and she busted into the room just in time. She was drunk as hell, and knocked the door over onto the Elders. After that, she yelled for me to make a run for it." said Neji.

Everyone was shocked at this new information, and Ten Ten was completely going out of her mind.

Ten Ten was tearing up greatly and seemed to be trying to say something but kept choking up.

"They already took something from me that was far to valuable for me to lose. So when they threatened to take my life, I figured that since nothing else could be taken from me, I told them that I would take back what they took from me." said Neji.

(Flashback)

_Hiashi closed the door and locked it, leaving Neji to stare at his feet to avoid Hiashi's gaze._

_Hiashi listened through the door, and heard Ten Ten's footsteps walking away._

_He would have to get someone to clean up all of that pudding...  
_

_He waited until he heard the front door close, then he turned to Neji.  
_

_"Neji..." said Hiashi quietly._

_"I know..." said Neji._

_"Then why..."_

_"I KNOW!" shouted Neji._

_Hiashi was surprised at his outburst, but he knew this would happen._

_"Neji, the counsel forbid your relationship with Ten Ten for a reason." said Hiashi._

_"To keep me in line." said Neji._

_"..."_

_"Have you told her?" asked Hiashi._

_"..."_

_Hiashi was wise, Neji's silence said it all.  
_

_"Neji..."_

_"No, I have not told her, I just... couldn't bear to see her sad." whispered Neji._

_"I understand. But please, you must bear with the counsel for now. Once you have proved your loyalty in their eyes, then you can marry whoever you like." said Hiashi._

_"..."_

_"At least... that is how it was for me." muttered Hiashi._

_Neji quickly looked up to Hiashi in surprise._

_"But that is another story... I will send guards to make sure that Ten Ten gets home safely." said Hiashi._

_Neji wiped his eyes._

_"Thank you Uncle." said Neji quietly._

_"No thanks are necessary." said Hiashi._

(End Flashback)

Ten Ten was near sobbing, and her sight was almost blinded by the tears she was holding back.

"Neji y-you shouldn't have! You should have apologized! Even though they t-took that possibility from you, it d-doesn't mean that you c-couldn't have tried f-for it later!" exclaimed Hinata.

Naruto was shocked, Hinata was actually being assertive. Surely, if this wasn't a step to recovery for her, nothing was.

Neji tiredly breathed in, then out, opening his eyes.

"I was tired of being controlled by the counsel. I was tired of being used, I wanted a normal life, so I took the chance to have one." said Neji.

Hinata was still wide eyed, but gave up on arguing. Neji deserved better treatment then he had gotten. Maybe it _was_ time for a change.

"You said that they already took something important from you, what was it?" asked Naruto.

"It was his hand in m-marriage." whispered Hinata.

Ten Ten got wide eyed and looked at Neji who looked up into her eyes.

"Ten Ten, I couldn't stand the fact that I couldn't be with you, so I rebelled. That is mostly what caused the fight, and my attempted murder. At first they were mad because they thought I had attempted to kill Hiashi, but after I told them that I refused to be a slave to them any longer, they tried to kill me. I'm sorry Ten Ten, I just... I just can't live without you." said Neji who beginning to tear up as well.

"Oh Neji!" exclaimed Ten Ten.

Ten Ten jumped onto Neji and hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder.

"Y-You gave up everything f-f-for m-me!" cried Ten Ten as she hugged into him as though she would never let go.

"Everything will be alright Ten Ten, don't worry, as long as we play our cards right, and try our hardest, we will be just fine." said Neji as he softly cried into her shoulder.

Hinata had her hands up over her mouth in surprise of everything that had happened, Anko didn't know what to think, and Naruto had hid hands clenched in anger.

_'I promised all of those years ago during the Chunnin exams, and I haven't forgotten. I WILL help you Neji, no matter what, the Hyuuga clan will be changed!'_ thought Naruto angrily.

He looked over to Hinata to see that she was still very emotional, her Bijuu was no doubt getting ready to awaken.

He had so much to do, so many promises to fulfill...

"I will do what I promised, I swear it!" exclaimed Naruto quietly.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

* * *


	33. A Wavy Path

**_My Heart's Lavender Eyes_**

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

**_Kyuubi_**

**Other enormous beings**

**_(Lemon) _**if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish. (Link is in my profile)

"**_Disclaimer"_**

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 33:**_

_**A Wavy Path:**_

The trees whistled eerily as the bushes seemed to move in correspondence to the call of the wind. Nobody said a word as Neji let Ten Ten out of the hug, and wiped the tears from her eyes, but didn't bother to wipe away his own. It would be dark soon, but not dark enough to hide his feelings.

Neji turned to face Itachi, his face seemed very emotionless despite the tears still running down his face.

"I will go on ahead, I can keep track of your movements with my Byakugan. Don't worry, you won't lose me." said Neji.

Itachi nodded and gestured him to go on ahead.

Before Ten Ten could say otherwise, Neji jumped off into the shrubbery.

Ten Ten jumped forward towards Neji, but she was stopped by Itachi's forearm.

Ten Ten looked as though she was going to rip his head off for getting in her way, but then she looked into his eyes, seeing that his Sharingan eyes were still active. His expression was unmovable, but with a purpose.

"Leave him be, if you know him well enough, then you would know that he needs to be alone right now." said Itachi firmly.

Ten Ten looked like she was about to yell at him, but then she quieted down and looked wearily at her feet.

"...Okay." said Ten Ten quietly.

Ten Ten was on the verge of crying, but at the same time, her voice was happy to let him go to think to himself.

Neji sighed.

His life was going to be very different from now on.

No longer could he ever be safe in Konoha, no longer could he be called a Hyuuga, and no longer could he safely marry Ten Ten in Konoha.

Neji needed to be alone.

For once in his life, the normally statuesque and stoic Hyuuga just needed to cry.

* * *

The journey down the path to the Land of Waves was very stressful at first. As they jumped through the branches, everyone kept glancing back and forth from Hinata to Ten Ten. Certainly there were secrets of Hyuuga tradition that wouldn't be shared, but at this point some of the people in the group were wondering what other corrupt and vile secrets lay hidden within the Hyuuga compound.

Hinata tried to ignore the stares and glances she kept getting, but they just kept getting worse.

Finally Hinata got a lengthened stare from Itachi, and Naruto took notice.

Inadvertently, Naruto moved himself in between Itachi and Hinata as they jumped.

Itachi locked eyes with Naruto, and Naruto gave him a death glare.

To everybody's surprise, Itachi backed down and turned his gaze forward.

Hinata mumbled something, and Naruto was sure it wasn't meant to be heard.

"You're very welcome Hinata." whispered Naruto with a smile.

Hinata blushed deeply and kept her gaze on the branches as she jumped forward towards their target.

* * *

Back in Konoha, Tsunade was sitting in her desk with an unexpected visitor.

"I see." said Tsunade.

Chouji didn't really know the Hokage very well, but he did know that what he said must have upset her in some way.

(Flashback)

Tsunade was filing a tax exemption for the lighting bill in one of their storage warehouses, when an upset Akimichi ran into her office, completely out of breath.

"Chouji, is there something wrong?" asked Tsunade.

"I heard... two men... talking bout... a Sannin..." breathed Chouji.

Tsunade eyes narrowed.

"Explain." said Tsunade firmly.

"I was at my favorite bar, and I overheard two men talking to each other about how a Sannin asked them to help get him somewhere." said Chouji.

Tsunade knew exactly who it must have been.

They must have been talking about Jiraiya, he was the only male Sannin that could possibly be in Konoha at the moment.

"They said that he was known to be tricky and manipulative, and that they could be tricked into doing his bidding. But then the other man said that there was no way that the Sannin could benefit from their actions. After that, they mentioned that the place that he wanted them to take him was heavily guarded." said Chouji.

"Chouji, this is deeply troubling. A Sannin basically has the power to go anywhere whenever they want, if a Sannin asks someone's help to get somewhere, then that somewhere must be either extremely dangerous or forbiddingly guarded." said Tsunade as she thought deeply about this.

_'Where would Jiraiya want to go that he normally couldn't go?' _thought Tsunade.

"You said the two people talking were men right?" asked Tsunade.

"Yes, they were both males with Chunnin vests." said Chouji.

"Well, that rules out the woman's bath houses." said Tsunade with a sigh.

"Well, one of the men made a point to say that they should let you know about it, but then the other said that something bad would happen to them if they told you, so they agreed to leave the information anonymously." said Chouji.

"So, Jiraiya must have threatened them. He is powerful and could make almost any Shinobi fall to their knees..." said Tsunade thoughtfully.

The room was very quiet as Tsunade sat and thought for a couple of minutes.

(End Flashback)

"Tsunade?" asked Chouji.

"..."

"Well what should we do?" asked Chouji.

"Jiraiya." said Tsunade.

Suddenly Jiraiya appeared in a poof of smoke.

"Yes Lady Hokage?" asked Jiraiya.

Tsunade blinked.

It had been a long time since Jiraiya had addressed her in such a formal manner, it was kind of... disheartening.

"What have you been up to?" asked Tsunade directly.

Now Jiraiya blinked.

"All of my actions have been written down and filed Tsunade, there isn't anything I do that you don't know about." said Jiraiya with a confused look.

"(Sigh) Quit playing dumb Jiraiya, Mr. Akimichi here just told me that he overheard two men talking about how a male Sannin just asked them to help him get to someplace, and that the Sannin threatened them to get them to do so." said Tsunade.

Jiraiya looked very confused.

"I'm sorry Tsunade, but I have no idea what you are..." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya stopped talking as his eyes widened.

"Oh my God..." muttered Jiraiya.

Jiraiya immediately jumped to the window and turned to face Tsunade.

"There is something I need to check out, I will be back as soon as possible." said Jiraiya hurriedly as he jumped out through the window.

"..."

"Why does everyone find it necessary to rudely leave the room without saying..." said Tsunade.

Tsunade turned to see that Chouji had left.

"Goodbye..." muttered Tsunade as she laid down against her desk in defeat.

Chouji had no time to waste, if neither of the Sannin knew what was going on, whether Jiraiya was lying or not, he knew one person that always knew what to do.

And that one person looked like he had a pineapple for a head because of his hairdo. Then again, his girlfriend had the exact same hairdo, only she had it on her head four times.

But it didn't matter, regardless of his appearance, Shikamaru always knew what to do.

* * *

He sat alone in his room, enjoying the silence of his secluded spot.

He was playing Shougi with himself, and he was losing.

_'There is no way not to lose, nor win...'_ thought Shikamaru with a sigh.

He was bored, but at the same time, he wasn't doing anything, so he couldn't complain.

"SHIKAMARUUUUUUU!" shouted a familiar voice from outside.

Shikamaru's eyes widened.

(Crash!)

Chouji came crashing through the roof, and landed on his Shougi board, the pieces flying everywhere.

"Chouji! How many times have I told you NOT to break in like that? What if Temari was with me?" complained Shikamaru.

Chouji blushed lightly.

"You're right, sorry Shikamaru, but this is important." said Chouji hurriedly.

"(Sigh) What is it this time Chouji?" asked Shikamaru.

Chouji told Shikamaru everything he had seen, heard, and thought about in the restaurant when he overheard the two chunnin talking.

A half-hour later, when Chouji finally finished, Shikamaru stood still for a few seconds.

"It isn't anything for you to worry about unless the Hokage says so." said Shikamaru.

"But Shikamaru..."

"No buts... Now more importantly, is the matter of Ino." said Shikamaru.

"Ino? What about her?" asked Chouji with a confused expression.

"(Sigh) You said that she was acting strangely. She wouldn't talk to you, but she did try to." said Shikamaru.

"Yeah, so?" asked Chouji.

"(Sigh) Let me give you a... real life example you can relate to... Think about... Hinata Hyuuga." said Shikamaru.

"Hinata?" asked Chouji.

"Yes, how does she act around Naruto?" asked Shikamaru.

"Well, she is embarrassed to be around him. She is shy, and it's obvious she wants to talk to him, but she is just too meek. So basically to sum it up, she is shy around Naruto." said Chouji.

"And why is that?" asked Shikamaru.

"Because she really likes him, almost everyone in the Konoha 11 knows that." said Chouji with a slight blush as he thought of it.

"Right. Now think, in comparison, Ino acted similarly around you, so what does that mean?" asked Shikamaru pointedly.

"That would mean that Ino..." said Chouji as he stopped and his eyes widened.

"Exactly, I'm glad that I finally got it through your head." said Shikamaru with a smirk.

Chouji fell backward on his butt in surprise of his revelation.

"I'll leave you to think now, if you want to talk or whatever, then I will be at the Hokage tower," said Shikamaru.

* * *

Shikamaru made his way out of his home, and walked down the main street towards the intersection between the Hokage Tower and the Konoha Hospital.

He was taking his time. He knew he was in no particular hurry. He didn't really have anything to do. He wasn't on call today, but with this new information Chouji had given him, he figured that he might as well check it out with Tsunade.

As he walked, he saw the usual things he would see in the streets of Konoha. The bustling people. The busy shops. The normal and exotic clothing.

It was kind of nice to see all of the different cultures of the world travel to their village. It is said that a trip to Konoha's market, is essentially a trip around the world.

To his left was a woman who was obviously from the land of waves. Her blue kimono and her lengthened heavy pants signified that she had to do a lot of work in deepened water, probably in rice fields.

To his right was a shop that sold trinkets from around the world. A blanket made of Suna's finest Cotton, a staff made of the hidden Grass' finest wood, and a white dress made from someplace that he didn't recognize.

In front of him was...

Jiraiya the Toad Sage.

Based on Chouji's info, this was a chance he couldn't pass up.

The Sage seemed to be talking to a girl in her early mid-teens.

His eyes widened.

"He couldn't possibly be thinking of..." muttered Shikamaru.

Shikamaru took out his CBU and dialed in to 1.

"Tsunade, are you there?" asked Shikamaru.

Calling Tsunade on her CBU was always a risk. Tsunade almost never took her CBU with her, which was why he was heading to the Hokage Tower instead of simply talking to her over the CBU line.

"Yes Shikamaru, what do you want?" asked Tsunade irritably.

"I have heard of the information from Chouji, and I have just located Jiraiya." said Shikamaru quietly.

There was small pause.

"What is he doing?" asked Tsunade quickly.

"He is... wait. He is on the move." said Shikamaru.

"Well, don't just stand there! Follow him!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Shikamaru jumped up onto the rooftop and began to follow the Sannin.

After a few minutes, he followed Jiraiya and the small girl into a secluded area between a bakery and a salt shed.

"Where is he? What is he doing? Who is he with?" asked Tsunade quickly.

"He is in a secluded alleyway." said Shikamaru.

_'Uh oh...'_ thought Tsunade in horror.

"He is fishing in his pockets..." said Shikamaru.

_'Oh no...'_ thought Tsunade, dreading what she expected to happen.

"And he has a very young girl with him." said Shikamaru.

There was a profound silence on the line.

"Tsunade?" asked Shikamaru.

There was no longer any response.

Shikamaru figured that he would simply observe.

"Okay, if you are still there Tsunade, He has pulled out a crate of something." said Shikamaru.

"... A crate?" asked Tsunade quietly.

_'So she IS still on the line...'_ thought Shikamaru.

"Yes, there appears to be some kind of discussion going on between them, and he is giving her the crate." said Shikamaru.

"What is their body language? Is he touching her? Is he being perverted? Is she?" asked Tsunade quickly as though she was scared of such an insinuation.

"Their body language is different. Jiraiya's body language signifies happiness, soberness, and care. While her body language signifies impatience, happiness, and a large amount of gratitude." said Shikamaru.

There was a sigh of relief over the line, followed by a pause.

"What is happening now?" asked Tsunade.

"Jiraiya is kneeling down to her..." said Shikamaru.

Shikamaru heard a stifled gasp over the line.

"And now he is patting her on the head, and he said some form of goodbye." said Shikamaru.

There was another sigh of relief.

"Did the girl give him anything in return for the crate?" asked Tsunade.

"No, that's the weird thing. Jiraiya didn't seem like he owed her anything, yet he gave her an entire crate of something for free." said Shikamaru.

There was a pause.

"Yugao, follow Jiraiya, if he goes anywhere you know he shouldn't be, then have him immediately report to me along with you." said Tsunade.

An ANBU with a sorrowful mask appeared next to Shikamaru.

"Yes Hokage-sama." said the woman as she jumped after the Toad Sage.

"Shikamaru, keep on the girl, see if you can find out what she is carrying." said Tsunade.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do." said Shikamaru.

* * *

Shikamaru kept after the young girl, trying to find out what she was carrying.

As she walked, Shikamaru noticed irregularities in her posture, as well as her path.

She was heading in a general direction, but it seemed like she refused to walk in the public. She would duck into alleyways, and rush through intersections. It was as though she were afraid of being seen.

Shikamaru decided that it was time for a confrontation.

Shikamaru jumped to the ground, and began to trail her closely.

"(Sigh) This is such a drag..." mumbled Shikamaru.

As soon as Shikamaru got within 15 feet of the girl, she immediately changed her pace from strolling, to walking fast.

Shikamaru noted this, and decided to start noting other things.

Her hair was a darker brownish color, he couldn't place the name of the shade. She wore tan and white robes, and based on her posture, she seemed to be familiar with some form of fighting.

Suddenly the girl whipped around and faced him.

"What is your deal?!" exclaimed the girl in agitation.

Shikamaru blinked.

"_My deal_ is that I am ordered to follow you, I am just doing my job." said Shikamaru.

The girl's eyes widened in horror and she blinked for a second.

Then she smirked slightly.

"Then you must be a terrible ninja, I sensed you following me almost immediately." said the girl.

"My job is to observe you, it doesn't say anything about whether or not I should be stealthy or unknown to you." said Shikamaru simply.

The girl blinked.

"Well, can you quit following me? I'm just going home." said the girl.

"Right, without that crate." said Shikamaru.

The girl's eyes widened and she suddenly got very defensive.

"NO! Back off!!!" shouted the girl as she turn heavily on her right foot and ran away from him.

Shikamaru blinked for a second then sighed.

"This is just getting more and more troublesome." sighed Shikamaru.

_'Based on the way her foot stayed fully planted while she turned, I would say that crate has to weigh at least half of her body weight. And based on her height and appearance, she must weigh around 65 pounds... Whatever is in that crate weighs at least 30 lbs.'_ thought Shikamaru.

Shikamaru jumped diagonally to the right and reflected his jump from a wall.

He turned his body and landed in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

"The crate is only 1.5 by 2 feet, and weighs at least 30 pounds. The contents are also disproportionate to its size and weight when she moves." said Shikamaru.

"It must be a liquid then." said Tsunade thoughtfully.

The girl stopped and wildly looked around for an escape.

"She is very desperate to keep whatever is in that crate." said Shikamaru with his index finger to his ear.

Hearing all this, the girl's eyes widened, and she clutched onto the crate even tighter.

"(Sigh) Listen girl, If you let me see what is in that crate, I will let you keep it. But if you don't, I will forcibly take it from you and have it delivered directly to the Hokage to be examined." said Shikamaru.

The girl's eyes widened, but she seemed to be considering his offer.

"Do... do you promise that I can keep it?" asked the girl worriedly.

_'She has to be desperate for whatever is in there. I could very easily take that crate when she hands it over or sets it down.' _thought Shikamaru.

"Sure, I just need to know what it is." said Shikamaru.

The girl looked around, then she tried to open the crate, which caused her great difficulty.

Finally, the top of the crate came off, and what was inside shocked Shikamaru.

It was Sak'e. A shitload of 80 proof Sak'e, at least 12 bottles.

Shikamaru gave the girl a once over.

She definitely didn't look of the drinking age.

"Alright, now I just need some type of identification." said Shikamaru.

The girl looked panicked for a moment.

After a little reluctance, the girl fished out a verification card.

_'She is a Genin...' _thought Shikamaru as he noted the Ninja identification.

Shikamaru took the card in his hand and looked it over.

"Okay... Hanabi, everything seems to be in order." said Shikamaru.

_'It's Hinata's sister...'_ thought Shikamaru.

Shikamaru then gave her the card back, and picked up the crate's cover and sealed it back on.

"There you go. Would you like some help carrying this? It seems awful heavy for someone of your size." said Shikamaru.

Hanabi seemed dumbfounded. Not only was the man not arresting or reporting her for underage alcohol purchasing, but instead he was offering his help.

"Why... are you helping me?" asked Hanabi.

"I am being nice. It is a thing people do. So do you want the help or not?" asked Shikamaru.

After a moment, Hanabi nodded, and Shikamaru hefted the crate onto his shoulder.

"Alright, I assume that because of the contents of this crate, you will want me to carry this secretly?" asked Shikamaru.

Hanabi blushed and nodded.

Shikamaru jumped to the rooftops, and carried the package with care.

He was going as fast as possible, without using too much energy, so that he could get it done quickly without being tired.

He eventually landed on the front porch of the Hyuuga manor.

After he knocked on the door, Hanabi caught up with him, and looked horrified at what he was doing.

_'He cant just walk in the front door with that stuff! I will get busted!!!'_ thought Hanabi in horror.

After a few seconds, Shikamaru shrugged and opened the door.

"Hello?" asked Shikamaru.

Hanabi ran up to him and covered his mouth.

"Shush! I will be caught if anyone finds out that I have been drinking!" whispered Hanabi urgently.

"Relax, you will be just fine, now show me to your room." said Shikamaru.

Hanabi hesitated for a moment before quickly leading him down a very long and lavish hallway.

Eventually they got to a quaint looking kitchen.

Several of the chairs were knocked over, and out of place.

_'Looks like this is where father had his heart attack...'_ thought Hanabi.

Hanabi led him to her room slightly further down the hall and opened the door for him.

Shikamaru walked in and slid the crate underneath her bed.

"So I assume it is strange that most of the Hyuuga's main household members are gone?" asked Shikamaru.

Hanabi nodded, still wondering how he knew where to put the liquor.

"And I also assume that you intend to drink this Sak'e underage?" asked Shikamaru.

Hanabi gulped and nodded.

"Why do you need this liquor?" asked Shikamaru.

Hanabi paused for a moment to choose the right words.

"Very recently, I had a very stressful event take place, and I needed something to ease the stress." said Hanabi.

"(Sigh) You need over 10 gallons of 80 proof Sak'e for that? Don't lie to me, just say it." said Shikamaru, his eyes glaring into hers.

She opened her mouth on shock, then slumped over in defeat.

"I am an alcoholic..." said Hanabi sadly.

Shikamaru's eyes widened.

He had expected this, but it still shocked him that a girl of 12 years could be an alcoholic.

"I figured as much." said Shikamaru.

"I've been trying to quit, but I just like it so much... It makes me feel wonderful, its almost as though I can see clearer... if that makes any sense..." said Hanabi quickly.

Shikamaru simply nodded.

"Don't worry, I understand. Alcoholism is very hard to overcome." said Shikamaru.

Hanabi was shocked that he was being so nice.

"Now, can you tell me what you were doing with Lord Jiraiya?" asked Shikamaru.

Hanabi looked at the floor.

"He gives me my supply when I need it." said Hanabi simply.

"He just gives it to you? He doesn't ask for anything in return?" asked Shikamaru.

"Well, I give him information... Hyuuga information." said Hanabi.

Shikamaru's eye widened.

"I trust him with the info, he promised that he wouldn't let it fall into unworthy hands." said Hanabi.

"What do you mean by unworthy?" asked Shikamaru.

"Anyone who isn't a Hyuuga." said Hanabi simply.

"Ah, I see... Do you know if Jiraiya does any other kind of business similar to this?" asked Shikamaru.

"No, not that I know of... he seems like a good guy to me." assured Hanabi.

"Alright, Well I gotta go, but don't worry, I won't tell your father." said Shikamaru as he poofed into a log.

Hanabi plopped down onto her bed and gave out a huge sigh as she rubbed her face in agitation.

"Today is just getting weirder and weirder... but the real fun will start when the Hyuuga elders get back, they will probably have a biff with me about why I pinned them to the ground with a door..." muttered Hanabi tiredly as she opened a bottle and chugged a few gulps, shaking her head after the shock of the alcohol's strength wore down.

Hanabi sat up on her bed.

"(Sigh) At least I can use this log to heat up some Sak'e..." said Hanabi with a sigh.

* * *

As Jiraiya jumped through the alleyways, he quickly scanned the areas for anything out of the ordinary.

He had immediately noticed that an ANBU had been trailing him. It had been several minutes since he noticed his presence, but now he was beginning to become annoyed.

Jiraiya suddenly turned and appeared right in front of the ANBU, causing him to stop.

"Excuse me good sir, but would you mind assisting me in a very important task?" asked Jiraiya nicely.

The ANBU nodded.

"Alright, get as many free hands as possible to scan the streets and alleyways. Look for anything out of place, or out of order. I expect you to report everything back to Tsunade, is that clear?" asked Jiraiya.

The man nodded and formed hand-signs.

He made several Kage-bunshin, then they dispersed in several directions.

Jiraiya nodded and continued on, noticing that the ANBU operative kept following him.

_'Well, it looks like Tsunade has someone following me. I guess she still doesn't fully trust me...'_ thought Jiraiya sadly.

Suddenly Jiraiya picked up to very high speeds, and jetted away from the direction of the Konoha Hospital.

The ANBU was almost lost at first, but then he caught up to him.

Jiraiya then suddenly jutted to the right and flew into the Hokage's office.

Tsunade was surprised to see him so suddenly, but wasn't anymore when the ANBU she assigned to him came in after him.

"That is enough Tenzo." said Tsunade.

"Yes Hokage-sama." said the ANBU.

The ANBU nodded and turned into wood, which molded into the floor, signifying his leave.

"I said I would be back as soon as possible, but now that I have enough help from the ANBU, I don't need to be anywhere anymore, so I'm back. Now, what is so important that you would have an ANBU trail me down Tsunade?" asked Jiraiya almost sharply.

Tsunade continued to stare at her desk, then put her right index finger to her ear.

"Shikamaru, what do you have for me?" asked Tsunade.

Tsunade took out her ear piece, and plugged it into a speaker on her desk.

"I have found that the case that Jiraiya gave to the girl was full of over 10 gallons of 80 proof Sak'e." said Shikamaru.

Tsunade eyes widened as she stared incredulously at Jiraiya.

"Are you cheating on me Jiraiya?" asked Tsunade simply.

Her eyes were watery, but they were very sharp and focused.

Jiraiya blinked at her, and then after a few moments he shook his head and blinked again.

"What makes you think that?" asked Jiraiya.

"Shikamaru, describe for me the situation you found Jiraiya in." said Tsunade.

"As I said before, I found Jiraiya in a secluded alleyway, giving a very young girl large amounts of Sak'e." said Shikamaru.

Tsunade looked up at Jiraiya with an angry yet calm stare.

Jiraiya put his hands through his hair in agitation, then let them drop to his sides in defeat.

"So, you think that I'm a pedophile now. How wonderful. You know Tsunade, I had this crazy feeling that you actually knew me. I guess that I am just a fool who is always wrong." said Jiraiya sorrowfully.

Tsunade blinked once with her mouth slightly open.

"Now listen you two. This exchange between Hanabi and I must be kept a secret. She will be in big trouble if anyone learns of her alcohol addiction. Not only will she be in trouble, her life will essentially be ruined." said Jiraiya.

"You two must agree that you keep this a secret, for Hanabi's sake. Agreed?" asked Jiraiya with a serious face.

There was a small pause.

"Agreed. I have no intention of letting that girl get into trouble, she looks troubled enough as it is" said Shikamaru through the speaker.

Jiraiya then looked up to Tsunade.

"Tsunade?" asked Jiraiya.

She didn't respond, she still seemed to be greatly shocked by what he had said.

"Tsunade!" exclaimed Jiraiya.

Tsunade snapped to attention.

"Do you agree to keep a 12 year old's life in tact Tsunade?" asked Jiraiya.

After a few seconds, she slowly nodded.

"Good. I will give you a full report on the matter later, as well as a report on what I know of the Akimichi's findings." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya hopped up to the window.

Tsunade suddenly shook herself from her stupor.

"Where are you going?" asked Tsunade suddenly.

"...I need to think." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya went to jump out of the window.

"Jiraiya." said Tsunade.

Jiraiya stopped, then turned and looked at Tsunade.

Her eyes were watery, and her expression was very emotional.

"What would you have done if I had refused to keep it confidential?" asked Tsunade quietly.

"I never would have talked to you ever again, unless it was business related." said Jiraiya.

"... I see... This little girl is... important to you?" asked Tsunade.

"Yes... even though I met her only 6 months ago, and she was drunk when I met her, I feel like she is the daughter I never had." said Jiraiya.

Without another thought, Jiraiya jumped out of the window.

That last comment deeply struck Tsunade, and Jiraiya knew it.

"He still hasn't recovered from losing his last child... and neither have I." said Tsunade as tears formed in her eyes.

* * *

Itachi felt that this new mission of his was going to be stressful, despite the zero-deadline of the assignment.

Every time he looked back to check on everyone, even for a split second, he would catch a wary and suspiciously angry glare from Naruto. And if he dared glance towards Hinata, Naruto would immediately send a small shot of killing intent towards his person.

Everyone else caught on to this, so everyone avoided looking at Hinata in any way, at least until Naruto got less defensive.

Ten Ten didn't have to worry about this very much, she was too worried about Neji to think about anything else.

As everyone jumped along the branches most stayed wary of Ten Ten and Hinata. Ten Ten just wanted to be left alone, and anyone that even looked at Hinata would feel Naruto's glare boring into them.

The whole situation was very uncomfortable.

That is why Itachi decided to make a stop.

Itachi jumped down to the ground below, and stopped near a small clearing.

"Alright everyone, we are going to rest here for just a bit, we will wait here for our _missing strategic power_." said Itachi.

"Don't refer to him like he's just some kind of tool!" exclaimed Ten Ten angrily.

"I didn't." said Itachi simply.

Ten Ten blinked.

"Besides, all Shinobi are tools. Weapons to be used by an overruling power." said Itachi.

Ten Ten's eyes narrowed. She looked as though she were about to say something nasty.

"Just because something is so, doesn't mean that it has to be viewed that way." interrupted Naruto.

Everyone looked at Naruto strangely.

"In a world where one's skills are needed for oneself and everybody else's self to live, one must accept their situation and the consequences that are set based on the path one chooses." said Naruto while he glared right into Itachi's eyes.

Everyone was looking at him with open eyes, and even Hinata looked surprised.

"Just because a certain path causes one to become necessary in a way that can consider one to be a tool, one does not have to interpret oneself as such, but instead, one should interpret oneself as a worker or simply as a person with a means to an end. It is a job and it must be done, but only because the person chooses it. There are things that differentiate a person from being a tool. For instance: The ability to love, be happy, and to choose to do what we want. We can always choose, we have the will to do so. Free-will allows us to do and think as we please. So if one wants to be a Shinobi, then let them be, but don't tell them that because they are Shinobi, that they should think of themselves as tools just because you think so." said Naruto as he closed his eyes.

Naruto seemed to have everyone's attention.

"It is a way of life, and I won't criticize you for thinking however you may want to think, but I just want to let you know that not everybody, if not anybody at all, views the Shinobi career in such a dark manner. The glass is only half empty if one interprets it so. You are only a tool if you think so. You are merely doing your job if you think so. So just because you think something is to be interpreted in a certain way, it does not mean that everyone else has to think the same way. So don't push your ideals that nobody wants." said Naruto mellowly as he turned away from him.

He walked over and sat down by a tree with one knee up, and his arms crossed as he closed his eyes.

_'Jeez, whats up with Naruto?'_ thought Kakashi.

Itachi blinked, then looked down towards the ground.

"I am sorry, I guess that so many years within the Root, the ANBU, and the Akatsuki have really hardened me." said Itachi.

_'Well, after I spend more time with Yasu, maybe I will become less... undesirable.'_ thought Itachi.

(Flashback)

_Itachi came back from Tsunade's office after her briefing, and he was just walking into his house._

_"Hey Honey I..."_

_(GLOMP!!!)_

_Itachi was thrown and across the room and pinned to the wall_

_Yasu had her hands all over him, breathing deeply as she inhaled Itachi's mouth._

_After a few minutes of struggling, Itachi finally got to breathe._

_"Y-Yasu!" exclaimed Itachi in between deep breaths._

_"You've been gone for over a year (deep breath) (deep breath)... I believe the expression... is turning blue." said Yasu devilishly as Itachi's eyes widened._

(End Flashback)

* * *

_'Maybe more time spent with her wouldn't kill me...'_ thought Itachi with a slight blush.

Naruto noticed Itachi's blush.

_'If he is thinking about Hinata...'_ thought Naruto as he cracked his knuckles.

Naruto pictured various ways to kill the Uchiha.

As Naruto mentally neutered Itachi, Ten Ten was mentally stressing out, although she didn't show it.

_'I love him so much, but he gave up EVERYTHING for me! What am I supposed to do?! Run off with him?! I would be happy, but I would give up everything as well... On the other hand, after all that has happened, after all of the good things he has done for me, I don't know if I am good enough for him...'_ thought Ten Ten sadly.

Ten Ten just sat there against her tree to think over their relationship.

Hinata stood next to the tree that Naruto sat against.

Hinata was behind Naruto, and she was silently watching him.

She was fairly close to him, but not enough so that he would notice.

_'Naruto shouldn't notice...'_ thought Hinata.

_'I totally notice...' _thought Naruto.

Suddenly Naruto flipped around and put his face so that his nose was touching her nose.

Hinata could feel his breathe on her mouth, just like in her dream.

Hinata immediately fainted.

"Hinata!" exclaimed Naruto.

It was either from the shock, or her hormones... he couldn't really tell this time.

Naruto leaned her back up against his chest so that she was comfortable.

"I remember a situation that was similar to this..." muttered Naruto.

(Flashback)

(End of Flashback)

"..."

"What the hell was that!?" exclaimed Naruto.

"Where is my flashback?" asked Naruto.

"Sorry, the damn thing must be broken again." muttered Naruto's Overseer in frustration.

"But isn't Naruto's brain controlling his flashbacks?" asked Kakashi thoughtfully.

"Exactly, Naruto's brain is broken." said Naruto's Overseer with a smirk.

"Oh fuck you baka..." muttered Naruto.

"(Sigh) Whatever, let me try again." said Naruto's Overseer.

(Flashb)

"What the?" exclaimed Naruto's Overseer.

(Flas)

(Fla)

(Fish)

(Backfish)

"What the Fuck?!" exclaimed Naruto's Overseer.

"Faulty equipment..." muttered Anko.

"The damn thing must be jammed." suggested Naruto.

"Or maybe its out of toner." suggested Kakashi.

"Try hitting the monitor on the side." suggested Anko happily.

"Your solution is always to hit things..." muttered Kakashi.

Anko stuck her tongue out at him.

"Right... so how do I fix it?" asked Naruto's Overseer.

"I dunno, just hit it or something..." said Naruto.

"Ha! See? Just hit it!" said Anko happily.

"Whatever." said Kakashi as he pulled out his book.

"Okay give me a sec..." muttered Naruto's Overseer.

(Grabs bat)

(WHAM!!!)

(FbKacLShA~~#$B%V$%^BNBNNB%$Y^B!!!! Yarms!)

"Woah!!! Okay! Let's... not do that again..." said Naruto's Overseer.

"Yeah... I think my hair turned purple for a second there..." muttered Kakashi.

"Where are my boxers..." muttered Naruto.

"Y-you t-took them off..." muttered Hinata with her face stark red.

"..."

"Look, forget the machine, I'll just type the damn thing manually and get it over with! Naruto, you start off again." said Naruto's Overseer.

"Alright...(Ahem) Where was I now... oh yeah. (Clears throat) I remember a situation that was similar to this..." said Naruto expectantly.

(Flashback)

_Naruto remembered the night after his court case again._

(End Flashback)

"..."

"You lazy bastard! Be more detailed than that!" exclaimed Naruto.

"(Sigh) Fine. I'll actually do it right from now on." assured Naruto's Overseer.

(Real Flashback)

_He felt her breathing hard as her breasts moved in time to her breathing. He felt her beautifully warm body in his arms, and he never wanted to let go._

_"I Love you Hinata Hyuuga, so very much." whispered Naruto happily as he rested his forehead against hers._

_"And I Love you too Naruto Uzumaki, so v-very very much" whispered Hinata breathlessly._

_The sunset accentuated their figures as the wind gracefully blew lilac petals through the air from the surrounding trees._

_Their kissing may have seemed like it lasted an eternity, but they both desperately yearned for more._

_Hinata looked hungrily into his eyes._

_Naruto could get used to that look._

_Naruto moved forward, turning his head sideways as he kissed her again._

_Both of their hearts fluttered again as this overwhelming feeling of love was expressed through this kiss._

(End of Real Flashback)

Naruto remembered the way Hinata embraced him in the tunnel, and in the cavern, and in their secret spot up on top of the Hokage tower. That was his favorite memory so far. Hinata kissing him until they were both blue in the face from lack of air. He loved her so much, and she loved him just as passionately. He could feel from her tongue, and see it in her beautiful eyes... Which were now closed because she was still unconscious.

"If she loves me... then why does she act like this? If she really loved me, she would trust me no matter what... So why is she like this?" asked Naruto.

"I don't know..." muttered Tsunade.

"Tsunade?! What are you doing here?! I thought you were in Konoha!" exclaimed Naruto.

"So did I, but all of the sudden, there was this bright light, and then I was here." said Tsunade thoughtfully.

"It was a flashback light..." whispered Anko to Kakashi while he inconspicuously nodded in agreement.

"He never should have hit the machine." said Kakashi.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time..." muttered Naruto's Overseer.

"Alright, I am **_not_** supposed to be here!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." said Naruto's Overseer.

* * *

Tsunade suddenly woke up at her desk in her office, feeling very strange and confused.

Tsunade bolted upright and looked around.

She was surprised to find that she was no longer with the team she sent on that mission.

"Mission... mission... There is something bugging me about that. Ever since I assigned the group to this assignment, it felt like I was forgetting something... something about... someone..." muttered Tsunade.

"Well, let's just narrow down the people." said Tsunade as she picked up the mission specs to view the list of people.

"Naruto... nope he'll be fine."

"Kakashi, Anko, Kurenai... nope, they aren't it..."

"Yamato? Itachi? no."

"Ten Ten? Neji?"

"No that's not it either!"

"Hinata... Hiiiinataaaaaaa....." muttered Tsunade as she mulled over the name.

"There is something important about that name I'm supposed to remember... but I'm too drunk to think..." mumbled Tsunade tiredly.

* * *

Back in the forest with Naruto, the group was still waiting for Neji to return from his thinking session.

"Where did Tsunade go?" asked Naruto.

"She is in Konoha now, relax, just continue." said Naruto's Overseer.

"Alright then." said Naruto.

"..."

Naruto looked expectantly at Itachi.

"Itachi!" exclaimed Naruto

"What?" asked Itachi.

"It's your line!" exclaimed Naruto quietly.

"Hm? Oh yeah! (Ahem) Where is that Hyuuga boy?" asked Itachi as he looked at his watch.

"...Since when were you wearing a watch?" asked Kakashi.

"Since whenever. Underneath this Akatsuki Cloak, I can do anything! For all you know, I'm flipping you off!" exclaimed Itachi.

Neji walked out of the bushes nonchalantly.

_'Byakugan!'_ thought Neji.

"..."

"You are flipping him off..." muttered Neji.

"..."

"Yes well...(Ahem) Back to business. Now that we have all of our members back, we can begin traveling again." said Itachi.

Everyone got up except Hinata.

Itachi noted this.

"Naruto carry the Hyuuga." said Itachi.

"Okay." said Naruto.

Naruto walked over, and picked up Neji bridal style.

"Neji, you're really heavy, maybe it's because your butt is so big..." muttered Naruto.

Neji hit him harshly over his head.

"He meant Hinata! Not me you idiot!" exclaimed Neji angrily.

"Oh. That makes more sense." said Naruto as he dropped Neji onto his feet and walked back over to Hinata.

Naruto leaned down and looked at her beautifully blushing face as she slept.

_'She's uber-cute!!!' _thought Naruto.

Naruto picked her up bridal style, her hair flowing down his chest.

"I'm ready to go." said Naruto.

"How long can you go while carrying someone?" asked Anko.

"Put it this way, if Naruto took part in a running endurance test, after 12 hours, after everybody else gave up, he would be still be running, wondering why everybody else already quit." said Kakashi.

Anko's eyes widened.

"More than likely, Naruto wouldn't even break a sweat in only 12 hours." said Yamato with a thoughtful expression as though he was remembering something.

Itachi looked over to Naruto.

"It's true, but keep in mind, everybody has their limits." said Naruto quietly.

Itachi paused for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

"Alright, we should really get going." said Kakashi.

Itachi nodded and took off into the trees, and everybody followed in line.

* * *

Night was falling on Konoha like a thick blanket of cool air.

A cloaked figure made its way through the streets of the Market district. Even though it was late, there were still plenty of people bustling through the confined side streets.

The figure walked in the direction of the gates of Konoha, a purpose seemingly in mind.

The figure did not look left nor right, nothing else seemed to matter to the person other than where they were heading, straight for Konoha gates.

The ANBU were searching everywhere for one Sasuke Uchiha.

"Cat to Hawk. Cat to Hawk. What is your loc. and pro.?" asked Komachi.

"Red light District, with nothing to report." said Towa.

"What about you Sorrow?" asked Towa.

"Front Gate, nothing to report here either." said Yugao.

"I did find something interesting, but it is not relevant." said Towa.

"What is it?" asked Komachi.

"I saw Gaara, Kankurou, and Temari at a bar with their old sensei." said Towa.

"Really? I didn't know that the Kazekage was in Konoha." said Komachi.

"What is the name if their sensei?" asked Yugao.

"It is Baki or something like that I believe." said Towa.

"Oh. They see me. Gaara seems to be gesturing me over. I will see what he wants, then I will get right back to searching for that Uchiha kid." said Towa.

"Just hurry up Hawk." said Yugao.

"Yes, and don't use your left arm, remember, the doctor said to lay off of its use." said Komachi.

"Well, I wouldn't have to worry about it if you and the other guys hadn't beat me up that night!" exclaimed Towa.

"Are you still going on about that? We told you that we were sorry." said Yugao.

"Yeah, we thought you were the target." said Komachi innocently.

"Yeah right Cat, you knew it was me. Of everyone in the ANBU, you know me the best. You probably enjoyed it." said Towa spitefully.

Before they could respond Towa spoke again.

"End of transmission. Approaching the Kazekage." said Towa.

* * *

Towa jumped down from the rooftops and landed on the street.

He calmly walked over to the restaurant Gaara sat in, and walked up to their table.

Gaara didn't look unhappy or anything, but Towa was still nervous to be in his presence.

"Can I help you?" asked Towa.

"We were about to ask you the same question." said Kankurou with his arms crossed.

"Now Kankurou, be respectful to Konoha finest." said Gaara.

Towa looked at Gaara in surprise. He didn't expect the Kazekage to be so friendly.

"We don't mean to be rude, but you were watching us for some time up on that roof." said Baki.

Towa turned and looked at Baki's face for the first time since coming up to the table.

Even though it was half covered by a white veil, he seemed vaguely familiar.

"Do I know you from somewhere?" asked Towa.

Baki blinked.

"Hm... Not likely, the last time I was in Konoha, I was leading the attack on the Leaf during the Chunnin exams." said Baki.

The entire bar which was filled with people suddenly went quiet.

"Don't blame me for what I did. I was just following orders from who we thought was our Kazekage. We were betrayed, and wronged, and because of Orochimaru, we led an attack on our allies." said Baki.

Towa said nothing, but still observed his face.

Towa snapped his fingers.

"Ah! Now I know where I saw you! You were talking to who you thought was your Kazekage just before you..." said Towa as he trailed off and his eyes widened behind his mask.

_'This man! This is the man that killed Hayate!'_ thought Towa in shock.

Baki now seemed a little restless as he shifted in his seat.

"Before I what?" asked Baki.

"Before you killed my best friend's fiance..." muttered Towa.

Baki's right hand quietly and cautiously made its way to his weapons pouch.

Temari and Kankurou were appalled at this. They were having such a good dinner, and now all of the sudden the air seemed uncomfortably heavy.

Everyone was looking from Baki to the Hawk-masked ANBU, expecting a horrible fight to break out.

But it never did.

"You wanted to know why I was observing you. I was on my CBU, and I just happened to stop there on the roof when I was called. It is nothing more than that. I am sorry for disrupting your meal. Have a pleasant evening." said Towa with such a kind voice that it was almost disturbing.

Towa quickly walked out into the street and disappeared in a shunshin.

His three students turned and looked at their teacher.

Baki relaxed and closed his eyes.

"It is all in the past now, we have had this discussion before. Konoha has shown us great kindness despite what happened, and we must show the same kindness in return." said Baki simply.

They nodded and continued their meal as plan, despite the looks they were getting from the other customers in the bar.

"They are glaring." said Temari.

"If Naruto and I can handle the glares for our entire lives, then so can you." said Gaara simply.

Temari and Kankurou were shocked for a moment, but then seemed very sobered up.

"You are right, let's just keep enjoying ourselves while we can." said Temari optimistically.

_'Maybe after this I can go see Shika...'_ though Temari with an inappropriate blush.

* * *

Shikamaru was sitting at the family dinner table, his mother and father were enjoying their meals.

Suddenly Shikamaru stopped eating and his eyes went side.

His father noticed this.

"What's wrong Shikamaru?" asked Shikaku.

"Yes, what is it Shika?" asked Yoshino worriedly.

"I sense a disturbance in the force..." said Shikamaru worriedly.

"Better run and hide then Shika, Temari must be on her way." joked Shikaku.

Shikamaru sighed.

"You think its funny, but I'm not laughing. Temari can be very... ravaging." said Shikamaru worriedly.

"I probably could have lived without knowing that son..." said Shikaku with a sigh.

"Oh like you already didn't know. Those two are so rowdy, I'm surprised that Shika's bed isn't broken." joked Yoshino.

Shikamaru had his head face down on the table.

"Oh ha ha." said Shikamaru sarcastically in defeat.

_'Parents can be such a drag...' _thought Shikamaru.

* * *

The cloaked figure made it to the gates of Konoha.

It was late, but that didn't matter. No matter the time, there is always a guard posted at each of the gates of Konoha.

The figure knew that somewhere in Konoha, there was the person he was looking for.

The best place to start would be at the front gate.

He walked down the main street on Konoha, looking left and right to see if he saw any traces of the person he sought out.

Eventually, he realized he needed something to eat, so he stopped at a diner near the Hokage tower.

_'Everyone that sees me tries to attack me or capture me... I don't understand.'_ thought the man.

The man heard footsteps approaching the door in the back of the bar.

A man stepped out from the door and walked up to the counter.

"How may I help you?" asked Teuchi.

"Please get me one bowl of Sweet Curry soup." said the man.

Teuchi paused for a moment.

"Wow, I haven't got an order for that particular soup for a LONG time. The last person who ordered that was..." said Teuchi.

Teuchi paused for a moment and his face sobered up alot showing sadness in his eyes.

"An old friend of mine that used to eat here all of the time." finished Teuchi.

"Yes. I know it is not exactly the most popular soup, but I like it." said the man.

_'Based on my experience so far, I should keep my face and identity hidden underneath this cloak.'_ thought the man.

"Heh. I am not one to judge you know. I'm just a lowly ramen shop owner... One Sweet Curry soup coming up." said Teuchi.

"Thank you." said the man.

The man reached inside his pouch to find at least one pound worth of golden coins.

The man's eyes widened and he closed it very quickly.

_'How do I have so much money!? Then again there are a lot of things happening that I don't understand.'_ thought the man.

He began to list them off in his mind.

_'Everything in Konoha seems to be shorter than I remember. Everyone seems to want to hurt me. One man even threatened me and told me to take off my mask, even though I wasn't wearing one. I tried to get help, but they just acted similarly as everyone else... It's a good thing that I only ran into a few people, otherwise I might not have been able to get away.'_ thought the man.

The man looked down at his hands, and with relative ease, molded chakra into blades around his finger tips.

_'And another thing... I seem to be so much stronger all of the sudden... It's like I'm superhuman or something...'_ thought the man.

Before the man could delve any further into it, Teuchi came up and placed a bowl on the counter.

"Here you are sir, one Sweet Curry soup." said Teuchi.

_'What do I do? I can't pay with these gold coins!'_ thought the man.

"You know, it seems like you have been open in Konoha for as long as I can remember. I was told that this shop opened up the year that Sandaime took office." said the man.

"Oh yes indeed. It was my father who started this humble stand, may he rest in peace, but that founding was a long time ago." said Teuchi.

The man's eyes widened.

"How long ago was that?" asked the man.

"Well... lets see here... if my math is correct... 48 years ago." said Teuchi.

The man's eyes widened in shock and surprise.

"F-forty years huh?" asked the man, his voice a bit trembled.

"Yep, its been a long time. So wow, you must be getting on in days if you remember something like that!" commented Teuchi.

"...Yeah.. I guess I am." said the man with a very sober voice.

_'I don't feel like I'm that old... I feel great...'_ thought the man.

The man got up from his seat, a bit shakily at first, but he could manage.

"...What do I owe you?" asked the man as he opened up his pouch again.

"It's on the house. It was a joy to make that soup again, and plus, it is for the appreciation of remembering the founding of my shop." said Teuchi with a smile.

"Thank you, I appreciate it very much. I... will probably be back again sometime." said the man.

"Glad to hear it, I will look forward to talking with you again." said Teuchi.

_'I thought old man Ichiraku looked different, it's his son... how long have I been gone?'_ thought the man as he shakily walked down the moonlit streets.

_'If I'm this old, then there is a chance that my friends may already be dead... Well, there is only one way to find out...'_ thought the man as he kept walking down the street.

* * *

The hospital was actually quiet for once, aside from the occasional beeping sounds you would hear from some of the patient's rooms.

Tsunade walked down the hallway, going over the charts on her clipboard.

_'Alright. I have gone over all of the previously critical patients, now it is time for the new arrivals.'_ thought Tsunade as she flipped to the proper page.

"Lets see here... the flu, broken leg, common cold, nothing that serious." noted Tsunade.

She flipped to the next page of the newest arrivals.

"Lets see.. Oh! A heart attack, that is serious. And it is... Hiashi Hyuuga?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

She fumbled the chart in surprise, then caught it and read the room number.

"Room 69." noted Tsunade hurriedly.

She ran down the hall as fast as she could.

_'If the Hyuugas learn that Hiashi died in my care, there could be a riot!'_ thought Tsunade in a panic.

''Room 30... 40... 50... 60... 69!" exclaimed Tsunade as she slammed open the door.

She jumped in to find two people naked on the hospital bed, the girl on top.

"Ah!!" exclaimed the girl as she covered herself.

"Oh jeez!" exclaimed Tsunade as she quickly left and closed the door behind her.

"For gods sake this is a hospital not a love hotel!" shouted Tsunade through the door.

"Just pretend you didn't see anything!" pleaded the girl.

"Yeah alright, just this once... Wait... that voice... Is that you Shizune?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

She heard alot of flustered movement from inside the room, which included alot of rushed whispering.

Tsunade smirked.

"Ha! Shizune finally gets herself laid!" said Tsunade with a smile.

"Tsunade! Just get out of here!" exclaimed Shizune in embarrassment.

Tsunade smiled at this new discovery, then frowned at the number printed on the door.

She thought she had the right room, but this couldn't be it, the man in the room was too young to be Hiashi, and besides, Shizune would NEVER sleep with someone like Hiashi.

She look down at the chart in her hands to see that it was upside down.

She flipped it right side up to see that Hiashi's room was in room 96 at the end of the hospital on the first floor.

Tsunade paused for a moment.

She looked up room 69 on the active duty roster.

"Lets see here... room 69..." said Tsunade loud enough so that Shizune could hear.

"...Ha! Routine Checkup my ass!!! Hahaha!!" exclaimed Tsunade in a boisterous laughter.

"Sh-shut-up!" exclaimed Shizune.

"More like he's checking-up your ass!!! Ahahahahaaaa!!!" exclaimed Tsunade as she held her sides while she laughed.

Getting no reaction from her this time, Tsunade had a thought.

"Well Shizune I'll tell you the truth, up until this point I was almost for sure that you were a lesbian..." commented Tsunade evilly.

"Ga...ga...ga..." sputtered Shizune is shock.

"Well, lets see who the lucky man is..." muttered Tsunade in curiosity.

_'Room 69: Routine check-up for... Iruka Umino?!'_ thought Tsunade.

"Well I'll be damned..." muttered Tsunade in astonishment.

Tsunade walked up to the door and put her head right next to the frame so that her voice would be plenty loud for the both of them.

"Well then, I'll see you both at work tomorrow, later Shizune... later Iruka..." said Tsunade.

She was sure that they were both mortified.

_'Now, to Hiashi!' _thought Tsunade.

Tsunade hurried down the hall. It was now dark outside since it was about 7:00, so the lights were turned on a bit brighter than during the day. This caused the white tiles, ceilings, and walls of the hospital to be a bit shinier.

That amount of brightness would have strained most people's eyes, but she was used to it.

She finally got to room 96, and then instead of busting in, she opened the door quietly and softly.

She could hear the whispering of a young girl.

_'Oh god I hope they aren't doing what the last room was doing...' _thought Tsunade.

Tsunade walked in to see Sakura sitting on a chair next to Hiashi's bed, reading a book aloud softly that was titled: "How To Get An Emo To Love You, Even If He Is A Back-stabbing Murderer."

_'Who the hell writes these book anyway?!'_ thought Tsunade incredulously.

"Tsunade?" asked Sakura.

Tsunade walked in next to Sakura and took up one of the three standard seats facing the bed.

"How long has he been in here?" asked Tsunade.

"Not even a day. He had a double bypass surgery that was a complete success as far as we can tell." said Sakura as she tried to cover up the title of her book.

"Has he been eating anything?" asked Tsunade.

"No, he has been out cold ever since the surgery." said Sakura.

"Do we know what caused it?" asked Tsunade.

"From what I gathered it looked to be caused by shock." said Sakura.

"Shock? What shocked him?" asked Tsunade.

"Well..." said Sakura.

(Flashback)

_She sat on the first floor of the hospital in the main hall, next to the Konoha Hospital's emergency medical bay._

_Sakura was enjoying her nutrient bar, when she heard a commotion from down the hall._

_She looked down the hall to see a wheeled stretcher being pushed down the hall at rapid speeds. And behind the nurses that pushed the cart were about 50 or so white robed men._

_It was easy to recognize them as Hyuugas._

_'Whoever they are carting must be very important for a mass of Hyuugas of that size to be trailing him!' thought Sakura._

_As soon as the cart got to where she was sitting, she shoved the rest of the bar down her throat and helped push the cart._

_"What is this patient's condition?" asked Sakura._

_"Oh Sakura thank god! We need a good surgeon!" exclaimed one nurse._

_"Yeah, this man was carried in by Neji Hyuuga, and he said that it was of the utmost importance that his heart should be tended to." said the other nurse._

_Sakura looked down at the man._

_"This is Hiashi Hyuuga! Lord of the Hyuugas!" exclaimed Sakura._

_"WE KNOW!" exclaimed the fifty or so Hyuugas filling the hall behind them as they made their way to the medical bay._

_As they entered the medical bay, Sakura turned and slammed the door on the Hyuugas._

_"Hospital personnel only." stated Sakura._

_Sakura turned to the table and began the surgery._

_Unlike a normal surgery, a chakra surgery wouldn't take very much time at all._

_"Alright, filtration tube." said Sakura._

_The nurse handed her the tube._

_"Set up a pan of my chakra infused water, it should be behind the shelf that holds the third scalpel containment case." said Sakura._

_The nurse nodded and quickly dashed to the other side of the room._

_While that nurse did that, she set up an I.V. unit._

_"Help me check his blood type." said the nurse._

_"It is type B." said Sakura._

_The nurse looked surprised for second._

_"How do you know that?" asked the nurse._

_"I helped perform a surgery on him after Naruto beat the crap out of him, and he was type B then, so I assume he still is one now." said Sakura._

_The nurse paused at her remark for a moment, then nodded and took out a bag of Type B blood from its container near the back of the bed._

_She hooked it up to the I.V., then she pick up Sakura's water.  
_

_"Here is your chakra infused water." said the nurse as she set it down on a tray next to the table._

_"Alright. Stand back, keep me posted on his vitals, and let me do all of the work." said Sakura._

_Sakura dipped her hands into the water and pulled out a ball of water the size of a softball._

_Sakura needed a lot of water-element control to do this, it was a good thing she got the proper training from the best medical ninja in the world._

_Sakura let the chakra water seep quickly into his skin, and she began the operation._

_"Alright, now that it is in, I just need to pull out the cholesterol build-up in his arteries." said Sakura._

_She sat there with her hands over Hiashi's chest for quite some time, until finally, she pulled the water back out._

_Inside the water was a very fine tint of yellow._

_"There, I got all of it. Now we just need to apply a stabilizer, and he will be all set." said Sakura._

_Sakura took the filtration tube she got earlier, and placed it on Hiashi's chest._

_She aimed the tube perfectly at two of Hiashi's arteries, and she began applying chakra._

_Sakura formed chakra based tubes on the inside of his arteries, forcing them to expand wider._

_"Give me the seal gun." said Sakura._

_"We do not have a gun that shoots seals, most seals are endangered." said the nurse closest to her._

_Sakura sighed._

_"She's new." said the other nurse as she handed Sakura what looked like a tattoo ink gun._

_"Thank you." said Sakura as the other nurse looked embarrassed._

_The gun had two cartridges on the back. One was empty, and the other was filled with ink._

_Sakura took out the empty cartridge from the gun, and popped of the bottom, revealing a needle._

_Sakura then jabbed it into Hiashi's bicep until the glass container filled with his blood._

_She put the cartridge back into its original position on the gun, and took out the second one filled with ink with her right hand._

_Sakura formed a few hand-signs and put her left hand over Hiashi's stomach._

_Sakura began to draw chakra from Hiashi's main chakra coil._

_She took the chakra and filled up the second container on the gun with his chakra, mixing the ink with his chakra._

_After that was done, she took the cartridge and put it back into place._

_Sakura checked to make sure that the chakra tubes were still in place in his arteries._

_Seeing that they were, she began to tattoo a "placement" seal over his heart._

_After that was done Sakura sighed and sat back in the nearest chair._

_"Done. What is his status?" asked Sakura._

_"His pulse is becoming more normal, and his body seems to be adjusting to the changes._

_"Good. Have him moved to an empty room in the ward, and keep me posted." said Sakura._

_'I actually need a drink...' thought Sakura._

_Sakura left the medical bay, and walked towards the nurse's lounge._

_'Tsunade still has her Sak'e in there I bet...' thought Sakura._

* * *

_Outside of the Hospital, Neji was nervously deciding whether or not to check back on his uncle._

_"He should be fine, this IS the finest hospital in the Land of Fire, and Tsunade, the best medical ninja in the world IS currently on duty..." said Neji assuring himself._

_Neji turned to go back to where the group was waiting._

_Suddenly he turned back to face the hospital._

_"Then again, Tsunade is a chronic gambler and a drunk... and her best assistant seems to be suffering from some form of angry tourette syndrome..." said Neji._

_"..."_

_"That's it I'm going in." said Neji defiantly._

_Neji walked into the main lobby and up to the receptionist._

_"Ma'am, I would like to visit Hiashi Hyuuga." said Neji._

_"Hiashi? Let me see here..." muttered the receptionist._

_"He already has 11 visitors, including his daughter, but one more couldn't hurt." said the receptionist._

_'Hinata must have already heard of the incident...' thought Neji in surprise._

_"He is room 96." said the receptionist as she went back to reading her newspaper._

_"Thank you" replied Neji._

_Neji began to quickly make his way down the hallway, he knew there would probably be the Hyuuga elders in there, and from what he heard, Hinata was there too._

_'Alright, I'll just quick check up on him to see that he is okay, then I will be on my way.' thought Neji.  
_

_Neji finally made it to room 96, only to find that when he opened the door, he didn't exactly get the warmest greeting._

_"There you are you murderer!" said one elder._

_"You did this on purpose!" exclaimed another elder._

_"What do you mean?" asked Neji in surprise._

_"The nurse said that you brought him in." said one elder._

_"She also said that you left immediately after!" exclaimed another._

_"Sounds like a murderer to me!" exclaimed a third elder.  
_

_"But I..." said Neji._

_"No buts! This is unforgivable!" interrupted the shortest elder._

_"You are right. This cannot go unforeseen." said another._

_"We have tried to keep you in control by threatening your freedom, but that didn't work. We have tried threatening your life, but that didn't work. Finally we threatened your girlfriend's life, and we thought we had you under control." said the tallest elder._

_"But now that you have gone and done this attempted murder, we will no longer be threatening your life." said another elder._

_"It will not be just a threat to take away your life, it is now a guarantee." said a Hyuuga elder._

_All of the elders formed a single hand-sign that Neji dreaded to ever see._

_"It must be done." said one elder sadly._

_The other elders looked at him strangely, but kept up their hand-signs.  
_

_"You're lucky that your younger nii-san Hanabi isn't here to see this, she just left moments before you showed up." said an elder with an evil smile._

_Suddenly Neji tensed as he sensed a large amount of chakra being concentrated on the other side of the door._

_Neji suddenly rolled to the left towards Hiashi's bed, and the metal hospital door exploded from its hinges and landed on the elders, forcing their immobility._

_Neji turned to see Hanabi barely standing in the doorway, clinging to the frame._

_She was still drunk._

_"What'er you till doin' ere? Goin' get Ten Ten wwwwhile you c-can!" exclaimed Hanabi unsteadily as she tried to keep her balance._

_Neji ran over to her and gave her a hug._

_Hanabi didn't do anything at first out of shock, but then she hugged him back._

_"You may not see me for a long time..." said Neji._

_Hanabi smiled._

_"It's kay, you will f-(hic) find a way t-to visssit I'm suuuuure." slurred Hanabi with a smile._

_"Right." said Neji happily, his eyes watering up a bit._

_"Now git for (hic) they git up..." muttered Hanabi._

_Neji nodded and booked for the door, leaving Sakura stunned._

_She was sitting wide-eyed next to Hiashi's bed the entire time, and nobody had even acknowledged her presence._

(End Flashback)

"And that is all I know." said Sakura.

Tsunade was almost speechless.

"Yeah, then after Hanabi told me everything she knew about the situation, she left as fast as she could, she said something about having to be somewhere." said Sakura.

_'Hanabi is that girl Jiraiya is so protective of...' _thought Tsunade.

"This is an outrage that something like this has happened!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"What has happened?" asked Hiashi.

They both looked up in surprise to see that Hiashi was awake in his bed.

They both immediately got up and stood on both sides of the bed.

"Don't do anything strenuous for awhile Hiashi." warned Tsunade.

"I know, just tell me what happened." asked Hiashi.

"I can't tell you just yet, I will wait until your condition betters." said Tsunade.

Hiashi sighed.

"Fine, but at least tell me this; how is Hinata doing?" asked Hiashi worriedly.

"You needn't worry about her, she is off on a mission, getting her cure." said Tsunade.

"Yes, Neji told me of that mission. What is the mission anyway?" asked Hiashi.

"Well, there have been alleged sightings of people from the Land of Snow as well as sightings of Orochimaru. Sightings of Orochimaru have happened in the past, and have been passed off as pranks by foolish teenagers, so we naturally ignore those as usual. But this time we actually caught a culprit. It turned out to just be some teenager with face paint and a horrible sense of humor. He has been sentenced a month in jail... But these group sightings of ninja from the Land of Snow has me worried. We already know of one ninja for sure, but we don't know how many there are. We don't know if they are planning an invasion or not. We need to know." said Tsunade.

"So that's what that mission is all about..." said Sakura.

"Oh, so you are assigning them to run the streets of Konoha to gather information?" asked Hiashi.

"No, didn't Neji tell you what his and Hinata's mission entailed?" asked Tsunade.

"No he was... I... can't remember much before I passed out, but I do distinctly remember Neji mentioning the mission... But he did not go into great detail." said Hiashi.

"Oh. Well if you want to hear about the details of the mission, I suppose I would be the best person to hear it from. After all, I was the one who organized this one." said Tsunade.

Hiashi nodded slightly, being sure not to make any large movements that could drain any more of his energy.

"Alright then, tell me what they are doing. Remember, I have completed the preparations for the ritual, so Hinata should be assigned to areas as close as possible to the Hyuuga estate. Surely she would understand with her condition and all." said Hiashi.

Tsunade blinked.

"Preparations? Her condition? What are you talking about?" asked Tsunade curiously.

Hiashi blinked once and frowned at her slightly.

"Don't you remember? That talk we had with the Akatsuki spies and Kakashi? With Jiraiya and Shizune? It was about the Bijuu and Jinchuriki." reminded Hiashi worriedly.

"Oh yeah, I remember that now. All the drinking I did must have fogged up my memory a bit..." said Tsunade in embarrassment.

Hiashi looked extremely worried now.

"Do you remember what I told you about Hinata?" asked Hiashi with exceedingly observant eyes.

"Of course I do! How could you think that I would forget such a thing?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

_'I have no idea what he's talking about...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Good, I am duly assured now. I thought for a second there that you might have sent Hinata away from the Hidden Leaf Village on a Mission when her Bijuu, the Nibi, was about to awaken." chuckled Hiashi lightly.

Tsunade was silent as her eyes widened.

What Hiashi said made her fogged up memories crystal clear with a large shot of soberness.

She remembered everything.

"Oh god... oh god oh god oh god..." muttered Tsunade quietly.

"What? What is it?" asked Hiashi with a concerned expression.

"I may have... Sent Hinata away on a mission..." said Tsunade.

Hiashi paused for a moment.

"How far?" asked Hiashi worriedly.

"Oh not very far...(cough)(cough) to the Land of Snow..." muttered Tsunade.

Hiashi's eyes widened and he grabbed his chest in pain.

Then he closed his eyes and didn't say another word.

Tsunade checked his pulse.

"HE'S GOING INTO CARDIAC ARREST!!!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"What?!" exclaimed Sakura.

She had no choice, she needed to perform another operation.

She had to make this operation a permanent solution. If the operation Sakura did couldn't stop him from having a heart attack, than she would have to take drastic measures.

"His arteries aren't clogged anymore! And there are chakra tubes in place in his coronary arteries! How can he be having another heart attack?!" exclaimed Sakura.

"There is no other explanation, his arteries must still be inflamed from the surgery!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"So the arteries are constricting the chakra tubes..." said Sakura observantly.

"Right, now there is only one option for treatment. We must... well there isn't really a medical term for this procedure, but we need to basically carve the inside of his heart." said Tsunade.

"Nani?!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Just leave it to me." said Tsunade.

Tsunade held up her hands and they glowed green.

Tsunade opened up Hiashi's robe, and placed her hands on top of his heart.

As Tsunade's medicinal chakra hummed with her movements, Tsunade explained to Sakura what she was doing.

"I am going to seep inside Hiashi's heart, and basically clean it out. Over the years, a heart picks up all sorts of cholesterol and other forms of clogging, and that could be another source of Hiashi's attacks." said Tsunade.

"I get it, but doing just that wouldn't solve anything, the heart would continue to pick up all of the plaque at the same, if not a quicker rate." said Sakura.

"Correct, which is why I have to use another procedure afterwords." said Tsunade.

Tsunade then squinted slightly and a bunch of blood seeped out of Hiashi through his skin.

Tsunade then took the floating orb of blood and gave it to Sakura.

In the blood, you could see alot build-up that Sakura had missed.

"Filter the irregularities from his blood." said Tsunade quickly.

Sakura, just like she had practiced over and over, took the blood and began to filter it into the centrifuge which sat on the counter behind her.

Sakura then reached behind onto the counter and started turned it on.

While Sakura did this, Tsunade began to form hand signs.

She then formed a chakra scalpel in her hand.

_'This could be either turn out really good, or really bad.'_ thought Tsunade.

"Alright, now I'm going to remove the cancerous tumors in his heart." said Tsunade.

"Hiashi's heart has cancer?! Shouldn't he be dead?!" exclaimed Sakura.

"In theory. But he seems to have managed pretty well with it. But now, I need to cut it out. That is what I was talking about before. I need to make an incision." said Tsunade.

Sakura nodded, and formed familiar hand signs.

She then held her hands over Tsunade hands which still hovered over Hiashi's heart.

"You take it out Tsunade, and I will close the cut after transferring the clean blood back into him." said Sakura.

Tsunade took a deep breath.

"Okay, lets do this." said Tsunade.

* * *

The team was making good progress. At this rate, they would be halfway there in a couple of minutes.

Itachi still kept himself in the front of the pack, but he felt as though his leadership was constantly being challenged.

Naruto watched his every move. Every jump, every finger twitch, every movement of his eyes, it seemed like Naruto was viciously rating him as a person.

Itachi was actually beginning to become nervous around him.

Once during the trip so far, Itachi went back to ask if Hinata was doing any better, and Naruto almost bit his head off.

(Flashback)

_The team was peacefully making their way through the trees. Nobody made any complaints, nobody said a word. It was very peaceful despite all of their movement through the forest canopy._

_Aside from the very faint footsteps of his new teammates on the branches they stepped on, Itachi thought he heard something._

_'It sounds like a... very light sigh...' thought Itachi._

_He turned to see that Hinata was no longer unconsciously limp in Naruto's arms. Instead she was clinging to him with a content smile on her face._

_'It must have been her...' thought Itachi._

_Itachi jumped slower so that he was jumping in time to Naruto's movements._

_Itachi got to Naruto's right side where Hinata's head rested into the crook of his neck. Her delicate looking arms draped around his back and neck._

_Itachi smiled and tried to get a pleasant look on his face so that he wouldn't give the wrong impression._

_"So I see that she is no longer unconscious." said Itachi with a smile._

_Itachi then positioned his head so that he could look at Hinata's face._

_"How do you think she is doing?" asked Itachi kindly._

_Itachi then felt something dreadful and horrifying. Whatever it was, made the his hair want to stand up on end._

_He looked up to Naruto's face to see that Naruto's eyes were blood red._

_The pressure of his power was being exerted fully on Itachi. It was so powerful, that Itachi almost couldn't move to jump from the next branch he was about to land on._

_He barely got his legs to move, but he did and his next jump was barely successful._

_Everyone observed this and distanced themselves from Naruto a little bit._

_Itachi jumped forward to where he was before, and warily looked back to see that Naruto's mouth opened for him to speak, but nobody expected what came out.  
_

_**"A word of advice, don't approach Hinata ever again until I am sure that I can trust you." **said Naruto calmly in Kyuubi's deep baritone voice._

_Itachi shakily nodded his head and went back to concentrating on jumping, but it would be hard to do with Naruto's eyes constantly boring into his back._

_What made it worse, was that because he was looking forward, he couldn't tell whether or not those eyes were blue... or red.  
_

(End Flashback)

It had been a couple of hours since then, and he hadn't heard a word from anyone since Naruto's overly defensive reaction.

It was dark so it would be hard to see, but he knew that Naruto would not be happy if he turned around to look.

Itachi used his Sharingan to sense behind him.

He couldn't see using just his senses, but he could get a vague outline.

He looked back and saw nothing but a bunch of darkened trees whooshing past, the moonlight outlining the edges of most of the leaves.

_'Must be looking too far back...'_ thought Itachi.

Just as he was about to look closer to himself, he sensed something different than trees.

A footstep on one of the branches.

_'I guess I wasn't looking as far back as I thought I was...'_ thought Itachi.

He tried to sense who it was, but he could never really do that very well. To do such a thing, you would need to be fully in touch with nature.

The only thing he could sense about the person was that he had...

"The Sharingan..." muttered Itachi.

"What did you say?" asked Anko.

"There is someone trailing us a long ways back, and they are gaining." said Itachi.

"Are they a threat?" asked Naruto.

"Well, I can't tell exactly who it is, but I know one thing for certain, they have the Sharingan." said Itachi.

Everyone got tense.

"Well, its one of two people, if its Kakashi, then that is fucked up because he is standing right next to me." said Yamato.

"But if its Sasuke..." said Kakashi.

"Then we are in for a royal rumble if he sees Itachi." said Naruto.

"Should we speed up so that he can't catch us?" asked Ten Ten.

"No, that would just let him know that we know it's him." said Naruto.

"We need another course of action." said Neji.

"Right, we can't let him see Itachi, and while I have Hinata, I can't fight him." said Naruto.

Naruto looked down in his arms to see that she was still happily clinging to him in her sleep.

"I say that we stop at the next clearing, quickly set up camp, and hide Itachi." said Naruto.

"That's so stupid and reckless... that it just might work." said Kakashi.

"Right, everyone, I want to get something clear. Nobody is to tell Sasuke the truth about the Uchiha massacre. I want to tell him." said Itachi.

As everyone jumped across the branches, they turned towards Itachi with a serious expression.

Except Ten Ten.

"What truth?" asked Ten Ten in confusion.

"It is not important if you don't know. For those that do know, just promise me!" exclaimed Itachi hurriedly as he looked off in Sasuke's direction.

Itachi's words seemed to be directed towards Kakashi, so everyone looked towards him.

Kakashi nodded to Itachi, then to everyone else to do the same.

Itachi nodded gratefully to everyone.

"Thank you." said Itachi.

"I will only keep my promise on the condition that he will tell him soon." said Anko stubbornly.

Itachi looked warily at Anko.

"Fine, I will... try." said Itachi.

"..."

"You know, Sasuke is still coming." said Naruto.

"Um ...Does anyone have any extra room in their bag?" asked Itachi.

* * *

He flew through the trees, mad as all hell.

_'I knew it! The village has never had my interests at heart! Itachi was with them all along! But for how long?! My entire life?!'_ thought Sasuke angrily.

He could sense them far up ahead, and they didn't seem to change their pattern of movement, so they didn't know he was behind them yet.

_'Whoever is on that team with Itachi are traitors in my eyes! Whoever is on that team has known all along that Itachi has lived among us!'_ thought Sasuke as he clenched his fists in anger, picking up speed.

_'I never would have gotten this far without meeting her...' _thought Sasuke.

(Flashback)

Sasuke ran through the streets, trying to get away from the ANBU.

He had already lost them for a couple minutes, but if the ANBU ever lost their target they would be back on them within seconds.

He knew that he must be running out of time.

He headed into the Uchiha district.

_'The ANBU probably think I'd be an idiot to come here, its too obvious...'_ thought Sasuke.

As Sasuke entered the main gate, he looked forward down the many rows of Uchiha homes, and he could see his home from where he stood.

Instead of going straight ahead, he went to his left down an alleyway.

As he ran he saw something he hadn't seen since he was a little boy.

Lights on in the Uchiha District.

A light shown at the end of the alleyway, coming from the right side.

With eyes wide, he rushed towards the source.

'It's either a house has its lights on, or a streetlamp randomly turned on.' thought Sasuke.

Neither really made sense.

Nobody lived in the district since the massacre, and the streetlamps had been shut off because nobody ever used them.

Sasuke got to the end of the alleyway, and shot out into the street. He turned around to see there was a house a little bit to the right on the other side of the street.

It was a two story house, and it looked quite luxurious.

The lights were turned on in the first floor room facing the street.

_'If it's burglars, I don't care if the ANBU are after me, I will break every bone in their body for robbing from the Uchihas.'_ thought Sasuke angrily as he stormed the front porch.

(Bam!)

Sasuke kicked open the door, and shot into the room, only to find the last thing he expected.

There was a woman in her mid-twenties standing at the foot of her couch, facing Sasuke with kunai in hand.

"Who the hell are you?!" exclaimed Yasu angrily.

"I am sorry. By the looks of things you must live here. I must explain. Ever since the Uchiha massacre, nobody has lived here, so when I saw a light on, I assumed it was a burglar and came in to catch them." said Sasuke.

Yasu blinked at Sasuke.

"Sasuke? Sasuke Uchiha?" asked Yasu hopefully.

Now it was Sasuke's turn to blink.

"Yes, that is me." said Sasuke.

"Oh I have been waiting to meet you for such a long time now! Please come, sit, and let me get you some tea!" exclaimed Yasu excitedly.

Sasuke blinked again as Yasu practically skipped into the kitchen.

_'Well, I might as well stay here for a little bit, the ANBU would never look here...' _thought Sasuke.

Sasuke walked over to the couch which sat adjacent to the door against the wall. He say down and respectfully put his katana under the table at his feet.

Yasu happily walked in and gave Sasuke a rather large sup of green tea while she sipped her own.

"I am sorry, for not introducing myself, I am Yasu Uchiha." said Yasu happily.

Sasuke's eyes widened as he looked over the girl.

It was so obvious now that she was an Uchiha.

Her black eyes and hair, her robes and gown, and even her demeanor just screamed Uchiha.

"It kind of sucks being one of the last Uchiha doesn't it?" said Yasu.

Sasuke was still too surprised to say anything.

"Back when that incident happened, the elders didn't react in the way they should have... I was a travesty the way they treated the whole affair..." said Yasu with a slight tint of anger hidden underneath her smile.

"Well Sasuke out of all of the years I have lived here, I have been dying to meet you, I mean really, Itachi talks about you all of the time." said Yasu.

Sasuke's eyes widened a his mouth kind of hung agape, but she paid him no mind.

"For some reason, Itachi never bothered to introduce us, even though I'm practically your sister in law!" exclaimed Yasu with a giggle.

"Well yeah right, that would be the day, Itachi actually getting up the nerve to ask my hand in marriage... When that day comes, I will be so shocked, I probably won't answer right away!" joked Yasu.

Sasuke still sat in shock.

_'Itachi has a girlfriend!? Itachi has a home right here in Konoha?! For how long...'_ thought Sasuke angrily.

Sasuke looked up at Yasu to see that she seemed oblivious to Sasuke's inner-emotions.

_'Does she even know what Itachi did!?'_ thought Sasuke.

_'...Maybe I should just play along...'_ thought Sasuke.

"Well, its nice to finally meet you! I know that my brother has been busy recently, and so have I in the same manner." said Sasuke with a small and fake smile.

"Yes, but every time he visited home from the Akatsuki, he would always stay for a long time until he was needed again." said Yasu.

_'This makes no sense, she knows that he is a member of the Akatsuki! And yet she talks about it so casually.'_ thought Sasuke angrily.

"Yes, but I'm sure that he was gone for many years wasn't he?" asked Sasuke.

"Wow, you must have been away for a long while, no wonder we haven't met!" exclaimed Yasu happily.

"No, ever since the massacre, he stayed here with me, and left every so often to perform his duties in the Akatsuki." said Yasu.

Sasuke just couldn't grasp what was going on.

_'Itachi was here after the Uchiha massacre!?!?! That means he was here most of the time I was searching for him, even when I was a Genin here... he was here...'_ thought Sasuke angrily as he clenched his fists.

Yasu noticed his anger this time, it was barely escaping his facial features, but she could sense it.

"Are you okay Sasuke?" asked Yasu.

Sasuke got up and chugged the entire cup of tea, and placed in gently down onto her table.

"I am sorry to drink and run, but I just realized that I need to be somewhere, in fact I never should have stopped." said Sasuke as he re-attached his sword and hurried to the door.

Yasu looked sad that he suddenly decided to leave, she wondered if it was something she said.

"We will have to sit and talk another time, I'll try and get in touch soon to see if I can schedule... a family get-together." said Sasuke with a faint smile.

Yasu smiled in return.

"Okay, but it may be in a while, Itachi told me that he is going on a mission with a team to the Land of Snow for a short mission, but it will be at least two weeks before he gets back." said Yasu as she got up from the couch.

"It's nice to finally meet you Sasuke." said Yasu.

Yasu missed the look of shock on Sasuke's face.

Yasu strode over to him and gave a big hug.

Sasuke was surprised at first, but he returned it.

It was kind of nice to be feeling the love of a family again; she was technically the only family he had left that he could share this type of affection with anymore.

Sasuke let go of her, and she pecked him on the cheek.

"Now you be a good boy, there are so few of us left, please try to keep our name out of the dirt when you can." said Yasu with a small smile.

Sasuke nodded and gripped the hilt of his sword slightly.

"I will see you later... sister..." said Sasuke as he flew out the door.

As soon as Sasuke hit the ground, he took off to the east, to where he now knew Itachi would be.

(End Flashback)

Sasuke continued through the moonlit trees as he thought over all that was said.

"I have no idea how Itachi kept such a thing quiet, but I DO know what I need to do now." seethed Sasuke.

Sasuke was mad as hell about all of the truths that were kept from him.

_'All of those years that I was trying to get my revenge, Itachi lived less then a mile away from me!'_ thought Sasuke in horrific anger.

He rushed through the trees, destroying every branch in his way.

He was so determined and angry he thought he was on fire.

Just then, in the dark of the trees, he saw a very small light ahead, being blocked by thousands of trees.

He rushed at it as fast as he could jump across the branches.

After a few minutes of running, he jumped up through the top of the canopy, and into the sky of the cold night.

From up in the air, he could see a small clearing, and within it, was a fire in the middle, along with several figures that sat in a circle around it.

Sasuke dropped down from the sky and prepared to land.

* * *

The team had just finished setting up, and Kakashi had already set up the chairs.

"Alright, he's coming, just act like you normally do... except you Anko, you should act like a normal person..." said Kakashi as he straightened himself up and took out his adult reading material.

Anko stuck her tongue out at him.

Naruto didn't sit in one of Kakashi's chairs; instead he held Hinata as he leaned up against a tree in the dark of a large oak's moonlit shadow.

(Boom)

Sasuke landed hard onto the ground between Kakashi and the fire.

Sasuke got up from his kneeling position, and looked around quickly.

Nobody seemed to be surprised at his arrival.

"Hello Sasuke, it's a surprise to see you, especially way out here." said Kakashi with a fake friendly face as he put down his book.

Kakashi then inadvertently gestured Anko to follow his lead.

"Yes, what art thou doing here?" asked Anko.

Kakashi gave her a look.

She shrugged as if to say "I don't know how normal people talk..."

"Where is he?" asked Sasuke.

"Be more specific. By _he_ do you mean Yamato? Or Neji... Or... who?" asked Kakashi nonchalantly.

_'I can't believe it, everyone here must be in on it...'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke looked around the fire.

_'Yamato...'_ thought Sasuke.

Yamato sat in his own chair, and seemed to be resting his eyes.

Sasuke looked to the right of Yamato to see Neji sitting on a chair with Ten Ten sitting on his lap.

_'Neji and Ten Ten...' _thought Sasuke.

There was an empty spot where a chair would go, and behind it was nothing but darkness from the moonlit shadow on an oak tree.

To the right of the vacant spot was Kakashi in his own make-shift chair, and to Kakashi's right was Anko who leaned back on her chair, and rested her head against a tree.

And to Kakashi's right was Yamato again.

Sasuke now knew all of the people he could no longer trust.

_'Yamato, Neji, Ten Ten, Kakashi, and Anko...' _thought Sasuke.

"Out of all of the people I expected to be here, I didn't expect any of you... except Yamato..." said Sasuke, trying to keep his cool.

"I may not know what you are talking about, but I must say that I feel somewhat offended." said Yamato placidly.

Sasuke only paid him a moment's notice.

"Where is Itachi?" asked Sasuke.

"Well, this is very unprecedented. Ummm... So your telling me that you came all of the way out here... to ask me... where Itachi is, even though are plenty of people right in Konoha that know just as little as me." said Kakashi with a raised eyebrow.

Sasuke looked to be getting angry.

"Sasuke you must be getting desperate to come out here to ask us." said Yamato.

"There must be an underlying reason why he came out to us. What is it Sasuke? What is it that you know... or that you think you know?" asked Neji calmly.

Sasuke turned angrily to Neji.

"I _know_ Itachi is supposed to be here." seethed Sasuke.

"Do you know? Or do you think you know?" repeated Neji.

Sasuke was about to explode on Neji when he was interrupted by his old sensei.

"Sasuke, we all now know you have a reason to be out here. It is either that you have heard something, or you have seen something that sent you out here. But listen Sasuke..." began Kakashi.

"No, I know that Itachi is here, and that you're hiding him! I can't believe you guys would do this. I don't really know Anko or Yamato at all, but Neji, Ten Ten, Kakashi... I wouldn't expect such corruptible treason from you." said Sasuke angrily.

_'What did Sasuke find out? It must have been a leak...'_ thought Kakashi as he thought of ways to cover this up.

"Sasuke." said a very placid tone suddenly.

Sasuke looked around for the source of the voice.

He recognized it, but it didn't seem to sound the way it should.

"Naruto." said Sasuke.

He looked over to a particularly shady tree to the right of Neji to see two blue eyes which opened and looked out at him from the darkness of the night.

"If you are looking for Itachi, you should try a place where Itachi would actually be. Certainly the Akatsuki is after me, but with Kakashi and Yamato around, they wouldn't just follow us around without having some sort of large advantage. And besides, the middle of the forest doesn't exactly scream positives in their favor." said Naruto almost boringly.

"But there is..." started Sasuke.

"Listen Sasuke, I'm here. And there is no way that I would hide Itachi from you unless someone held Hinata ransom." assured Naruto.

Sasuke stood there, not knowing what to say.

_'Hinata? Why Hinata?'_ thought Sasuke.

Suddenly there was a flicker of light to show Naruto holding a lit match in his hand.

The light from the match showed just Naruto's face, then he moved it to show that Hinata had her head buried into his chest.

"And don't worry, she's right here." said Naruto with a smile as he blew out the match, hiding him in the darkness again.

"(Sigh) I never thought that you would hide him from me Naruto. But higher-ups like Anko, Yamato, and Kakashi... I wouldn't put it passed them." said Sasuke.

Sasuke turned to face Kakashi.

"I am staying until I know where you are hiding Itachi." said Sasuke stubbornly with a large hint of held back anger.

"But listen Sasuke, the only reason we are concerned, is that you are way out here, and there aren't any ANBU with you." said Yamato with a frown.

"We have to take you back immediately." said Anko seriously as she stood up.

"Well, not necessarily." said Naruto.

Everyone towards the darkness where Naruto's voice came from.

"Sasuke needs 3 ANBU at all times until he is cleared by Tsunade to be a normal citizen again. But Kakashi is the Head of ANBU that works with Ibiki, and he should count as at least 5 ANBU, and then there's Yamato who is also ANBU, so he should be good as long as they stay with him." said Naruto.

"Well, I know that the elders wouldn't be happy if they heard about this, but Tsunade would agree, so... Alright, seeing that we are already more than halfway to the Land of Waves, and it would be a bother to haul Sasuke all of the way back there, lets just bring him with, he can help with the mission." said Kakashi.

Everyone sat in silence. Kakashi took it as a good sign since nobody actually said it was a bad idea.

"Can I talk to you for a moment Kakashi?" asked Yamato.

Kakashi nodded, and got up from his chair, walking past Sasuke as he put his head close to Yamato. Kakashi then cupped his hand over his right ear to hear him better.

Yamato leaned up from his chair and began whispering into Kakashi's ear.

"Kakashi! Bring Sasuke along?! How is Itachi supposed to lead this mission when he can't even stop hiding himself for even a second!?!? Sasuke has the Sharingan! He would know in an instant if Itachi's form was present as soon as he undid the transformation." complained Yamato with a hushed voice.

"Right, but if the over-confident and uptight Itachi can't lead this mission, then that gives us a chance to lead this mission the way we want to." said Kakashi softly.

Yamato blinked.

"What?" asked Yamato quietly with a confused expression.

"(Sigh) This mission is to be of unknown length, it is pretty much a paid vacation if Itachi isn't leading! Now, if we play our cards right, once we get to the land of Water, we can look around a bit, take a break for a few days and continue that pattern until we have had a satisfying vacation. Then, we go straight to the Village Hidden in the Ice, and finish this thing." said Kakashi quietly.

"So basically, you want to complete this mission leisurely, without stress... like a vacation?" asked Yamato.

"Yes, it will be easy. And besides, guys like us need a break once in a while. And this is the perfect opportunity." said Kakashi.

"(Sigh) Alright, I'll signal Anko to be quiet, and then I'll let her in on it later, but right now, we need to convince Sasuke that Itachi is not here." said Yamato.

"Right, let me handle this." said Kakashi.

Kakashi stood back up and they both looked back at Sasuke.

"Alright, we have both decided that it would be alright if Sasuke stayed with us if he so desired." said Kakashi.

Anko was about to have a fit, when Yamato stealthily signaled her to be quiet by scratching his forehead, and on the way down, holding up his index finger over his mouth for less than a second.

Anko nodded and sat back.

_'What the hell are you two thinking?'_ thought Anko incredulously.

_'If Sasuke knows we aren't trying to get rid of him, he will become less suspicious...'_ thought Kakashi.

"Alright. I will stay with you until I am absolutely sure Itachi is not with you..." said Sasuke.

_'Okay, if Itachi isn't with them now... maybe they are meeting up in the land of Snow... Yasu did say that his mission was with a team in the Land of snow, but she neglected to say whether or not he would travel with a team on the way there...'_ thought Sasuke.

"Great then! With your and my Sharingan, and with Neji and Hinata's Byakugan, this mission should be a piece of cake." said Kakashi with a smile.

Kakashi then tucked his book away and leaned back against the tree behind him like Anko.

"Now if you don't mind, I'm going to hit the hay... I mean... the tree. Goodnight." said Kakashi as he pulled his Headband over both of his eyes.

"Everyone, lights out in 10 minutes." said Yamato.

Ten Ten got up from Neji, and Neji took off his backpack and began rummaging around.

Anko began to look through her backpack as well, and so did Yamato.

Everyone pulled out sleeping bags except Yamato who pulled out a simple mat, and Ten Ten who didn't have one.

Neji set down his sleeping bag a respectable distance from the fire, and laid down inside, followed by Ten Ten as they fit snugly in the same bag.

"Ten Ten... I love you." said Neji with a loving smile.

"Neji..." whispered Ten Ten quietly.

Before Neji went to sleep, they both hugged, and small amounts of tears escaped their eyes.

Sasuke didn't know what that was all about, but he also didn't understand the situation.

_'I just called everyone a traitor, yet they are not reacting to it.'_ thought Sasuke in confusion.

Yamato chose his own space next to Anko, and laid down on his mat.

Anko laid down in between Kakashi and Yamato.

Yamato then formed a few simple hand-signs and formed a ball of water out of the air.

"Alright everyone, lights out." said Yamato.

Yamato dropped the water onto the fire, putting it out until it was nothing but a few smoldering ashes.

"..."

_'That wasn't even a minute...'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke could then see those ashes disappearing, accompanied by the sound of dirt being moved.

As Sasuke stood there, he realized that he had to get some sleep, but places to sleep near everyone were running out.

The only place left to sleep was near the tree he knew Naruto and Hinata were sitting by.

_'Hinata, why is he with Hinata? they aren't in a relationship or anything...'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke eased back when he noticed he couldn't sense anybody watching him. Nobody was peeking looks at him to make sure he wasn't doing anything to betray them.

This was a sign of trust.

Sasuke thought this over as he walked over to where he knew the big oak tree was, and looked into the darkness.

"Need a place to sleep?" asked Naruto's voice from somewhere near.

Sasuke didn't answer but he crossed his arms and he stubbornly refused to respond.

"I see. Well, you can always take the left side of the tree, we are only taking up the right side." said Naruto quietly.

Sasuke was slightly conflicted.

He had just accused everyone of being traitorous, but they did not react offended. But they did defend themselves. And even though they should be angry at him for accusing them, they weren't. Instead they were accepting and trusting. Just like Naruto.

Naruto was offering him a place to sleep so that he didn't have to go off and sleep alone in the woods.

But it was hard to trust someone you couldn't make eye-contact with.

Before he could see Naruto's eyes, but now he must have them closed, all Sasuke could see was darkness.

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, then walked into the dark.

Suddenly he bumped into someone.

He was about to slice the figure in two, but the figure spoke before he could act.

"Listen Sasuke." said Naruto quietly.

"I trust you, or really, I want to trust you. You have not really shown me anything worthy of trust." said Naruto quietly.

Sasuke blinked, then looked down towards the ground.

"And you marching in here and accusing us of being traitors is not exactly a good way of earning trust..." whispered Naruto.

Sasuke's confidence in Itachi's involvement in all of this was beginning to fade a bit.

"I know... It's just that I... found something out... something I've never known before..." whispered Sasuke.

Naruto's blue eyes blinked in slight surprise.

"And it was right in front of my nose the entire time..." seethed Sasuke quietly as he clenched his fists.

_'So that's it... I knew there must have been a reason.'_ thought Naruto.

"Sasuke, do you trust me?" asked Naruto out of the blue.

Sasuke blinked and tried to study him, but Naruto's facial expressions could be seen in the dark.

There was a short silence.

"Yes. There is no doubt in my trust for you." said Sasuke.

Naruto blinked in surprise.

"All of these years I betrayed you, and when you finally found me, I tried to kill you... The second time was no different... Except for that interference by Orochimaru... and that strange power that came from you... the one that knocked me out." said Sasuke.

"So Kakashi told you what happened?" asked Naruto.

"Yes, and Ibiki went into great detail when he listed off my... wrong-doings... " whispered Sasuke.

"How did it feel... to hear that you have done all of those horrible things?" asked Naruto.

"At first... I felt like dying. The pain was too great, I just wanted it to end." said Sasuke very quietly as his voice became slightly strained.

Naruto's eyes looked down at the ground sadly.

"I definitely understand where you are coming from..." whispered Naruto soberly.

"...After that, I felt as though I should be punished, and if the punishment was death, then I was okay with it. But I then realized something, my life had amounted to nothing but treason. I realized that I had to live long enough to at least try to make amends for what I did." said Sasuke.

"And Itachi?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed in sorrow.

"My hatred for him still burns deep, and now that I have found a lead to his location, I have to put everything else on hold." said Sasuke.

"Just like you did around 3 years ago?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke's eyes widened a bit in realization.

"You put me and Sakura on hold so that you could go off and fight Itachi with your promised power, so how is this situation any different?" asked Naruto harshly.

Sasuke flinched and looked down again.

"Because this time, I'm not abandoning anyone." said Sasuke.

Naruto blinked in surprise.

"I won't abandon you guys... not again... but that does not mean I will stop my goal." said Sasuke.

Naruto paused for a moment.

"I see. Well, that's fine with me." said Naruto.

Sasuke looked up in surprise. He didn't expect Naruto to be so understanding so quickly.

"Come on, have a seat against the tree and we can talk some more." said Naruto.

Sasuke nodded and moved forward, hearing a small popping noise and feeling a small gust of air.

_'I was talking to a shadow clone... Of course, Naruto was holding Hinata, he probably wouldn't want to disturb her sleep.'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke felt around before sitting down, and put his hand on something soft.

Sasuke suddenly felt a large shot of killing intent.

"Sasuke, remove your hand at once." said Naruto placidly.

His voice was calm, but there was definitely a strong threat hidden within his voice.

Sasuke immediately moved his hand and finally found the tree. He leaned back against the tree, trying to ignore Naruto glare as he situated himself.

He could only guess what he touched to make Naruto so angry so suddenly.

"(Sigh) Before Sasuke, you said that you found something out, something that was right under your nose... what was it?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke paused for a moment.

"Alright... I trust you, let me explain what happened." said Sasuke.

Sasuke explained everything that happened between when he ran from the ANBU, to when he met Yasu.

A few minutes passed and Sasuke finally finished, and Naruto was silent for a moment or two.

_'Itachi didn't mention to anyone that his squeeze might be a possible leak... Everything is different now. I will just have to try and steer around the subject'_ thought Naruto

"So... Baa-chan isn't exactly on best terms with you right now... as well as anyone you think is in on it." said Naruto.

"Yes, and as I said before, I don't think you would betray me." said Sasuke.

"Right, I AM known as a promise keeper..." laughed Naruto softly.

There was something about Naruto's voice that seemed off when he said that, as though there was an underlying meaning to what he said.

Sasuke wasn't sure he was just imagining it or not.

"So... You think that Itachi lived in Konoha back when you were a Genin?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke just nodded.

"But, how could Itachi, a member of the Akatsuki, live in Konoha, without ever taking me away? After all, I am what their organization is after..." said Naruto.

Sasuke paused for a moment.

"I... hadn't thought of that before..." muttered Sasuke.

"And there is something else I don't understand... Kisame was walking around in broad daylight." said Sasuke.

"Kisame? Where?" asked Naruto.

"In Konoha. He was just walking around. He's an Akatsuki member, and nobody was freaking out. It was... weird." said Sasuke as he thought it over.

"That is weird... and alarming. You said you told Tsunade, so I'm not worried at this point." said Naruto.

"But if Kisame was near, then Itachi should also be near." reminded Sasuke.

"It makes since, but it doesn't mean it will always be true..." said Naruto.

"I suppose... Naruto, you have gotten a lot smarter." commented Sasuke.

"Glad someone thinks so." joked Naruto.

Sasuke, for once in a long while, actually had a real smile.

"Heh, it's nice to see you smiling for once." said Naruto happily.

"That is something else that has been bothering me." said Sasuke.

Naruto blinked once to show his confusion.

"How can you see me smile? It's pitch black out, and I can only see the moonlight reflected off of your eyes, so how can you see me smile?" asked Sasuke.

Naruto just blinked at him.

"Ever since I could remember, I could see pretty well in the dark. But a certain technique I have learned allows me to see much clearer." said Naruto.

Sasuke looked over at him.

"Can you teach me it?" asked Sasuke.

"Well no, lets just say it's only something I can learn..." said Naruto.

"Oh. I get it. Its a secret." said Sasuke knowingly.

"Yep, its Mr. Angry fuzzball." said Naruto.

Sasuke blinked at him.

**_"I resent that..."_** muttered Kyuubi.

"Well Sasuke, I don't see that we can do anything about the Akatsuki situation at home, so lets not worry about it. All we have to worry about is our current mission." said Naruto.

As soon as Sasuke told Naruto about the Akatsuki, he assumed that he would immediately insist that they head back there, but he was... different then Sasuke expected he would be.

"You've really grown up Naruto." remarked Sasuke.

"Yeah yeah, now let me grow some dreams out of my head, I'm kinda tired." said Naruto.

"Yeah, mmmtired...." mumbled Hinata as she batted Sasuke lightly in the face, surprising him a bit.

"Heh, guess that's two votes against one. Time for sleep." said Naruto happily as he hugged Hinata looked up at the darkened sky. There were no stars out, only the moon.

As Sasuke sat there, he thought about what might happen within the week of his traveling.

_'Itachi...'_ thought Sasuke unhappily.

In the dark, on the other side of the fire, Yamato and Kakashi nodded to each other, they had heard everything they said.

It was a whole new ball game now. Their game strategy had to change, and they both knew it.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

Bacchikoi!!!!!

Please, for the love of all things hoping for the canon NaruHina, READ and REVIEW!

* * *


	34. A Long Way To Go

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 34:**_

_**A Long Way To Go**_

* * *

It was still late, the Konoha hospital's public visiting hours ended a few hours ago, and normally it would be just about time for Tsunade and the day staff to go home, but Tsunade was too busy for her to quit working just yet. She had a crisis on her hands.

"God damn it! I need to get to the Tower as fast as I can!" exclaimed Tsunade as she rushed down the annoyingly white halls of the first floor.

_'If I wasn't so drunk before, I wouldn't have put everyone in such a ridiculous situation...' _thought Tsunade.

_'Maybe mom was right...' _thought Tsunade sadly.

(Flashback)

_The sun was rising, and the solar powered lights outside of her office windows were beginning to turn off. _

_She felt very out of herself. So many bad things had happened, she just needed to forget everything._

_She needed to forget that Naruto used to be suicidal, that Bijuu seemed to be multiplying like rabbits, and that, without even meaning to, she put too much on Naruto's shoulders._

_"(sigh) Everythiiiiing is just a huuuuuge bluuur..." slurred Tsunade happily._

_"Ha ha..." chuckled Tsunade merrily in her drunken bliss as she spun around in her chair once in happiness._

_She was brought out of her stupor by the sound of the office door opening, accompanied by light footsteps._

_Shizune walked into the room and looked over to the right side of the room. There Shizune saw Ton Ton sitting on the floor and smiled at her._

_Ton Ton turned and smiled back, then laid down and went back to sleep._

_Shizune smiled at how cute she was, then looked up to see the glazed look in Tsunade's eyes._

_Shizune gasped and pointed at Tsunade in surprise._

_"You're drunk!" exclaimed Shizune._

_"You're a friggin genius..." muttered Tsunade in a snide manner._

_"But How?! I took all of your Sak'e away!" exclaimed Shizune._

_"You fooooorgot tha stuff Jeeeeeraiya gave me." slurred Tsunade in a sing-song manner._

_"Gah! Tsunade..." whined Shizune in complaint._

_Then Shizune clenched her fists and lowered her head.  
_

_Shizune marched up to Tsunade's desk and took a deep breath as her face turned red in anger. _

_She looked like she was going to yell at her._

_Tsunade waited at her desk with one eyebrow cocked in skepticism._

_Shizune looked like she was going to let all hell let loose.  
_

_Shizune finally let out her breath and her arms hung in defeat. Her facial color returned to normal._

_'Sssright Bitch.' thought Tsunade proudly.  
_

_"(Sigh) Fine. Just don't do anything stupid and I'll cancel the rest of your appointments today." said Shizune tiredly._

_She walked over and picked up one sleeping Ton Ton, then she headed back to the door._

_"Where ya goin'?" asked Tsunade._

_Shizune opened the door, then looked back at Tsunade._

_"I'm... going to go do something I promised myself I'd do." said Shizune with a slight blush._

_Tsunade ignored her blush and continued.  
_

_"But why didya' cancel the um... the aaahhh... the appo... the appoin...... the thingies I gotta do?" asked Tsunade as clearly as possible._

_"Because you can't do anything when you're drunk." said Shizune pointedly._

_"Ya, but you slept wit a teacha! Hahahaahaaaaa!" laughed Tsunade_

_Shizune turned stark red before quickly vacating the room.  
_

_She disappeared out of view and down the hall, her heels clicking and clacking on the wooden floors until she left the building.  
_

_Tsunade growled and laid back in her chair, pouting with her arms crossed._

_"I can to do drunk when I'm stuff... I mean, stuff when I'm drunk..." muttered Tsunade in agitation._

_She sat alone in her chair, contemplating what Shizune said._

_'I'm totally capable when I'm drunk..." muttered Tsunade._

_"..."  
_

_'Where am I?' __thought Tsunade in confusion.  
_

_A few minutes passed during her drunken stupor and finally someone walked into her office._

_'Ha, a chance to prove myself...' thought Tsunade.  
_

_It was Kotetsu Hagane, one of the assistants and guards that usually posted sentry at the Konoha's front gates and at the Hokage Tower._

_Tsunade remembered that much about him, seeing that he still had on the torso-bandages from when Tsunade beat him and Izumo into the ground.  
_

_"Tsunade-sama, I have information that I think you should hear." said Kotetsu._

_Before she could respond, Izumo Kamizuki walked into the room with a folder marked: "Weekly Report"._

_"Yeah, what he said." said Izumo as he handed Kotetsu a folder._

_Tsunade straightened her posture as much as she could, and concentrated on keeping her balance in check._

_"Okay." said Tsunade after a moment._

_She figured that if she kept her speech to a minimum, she wouldn't seem so drunk._

_Kotetsu opened the folder and looked at its contents for reference._

_"Well, we have had sightings of Orochimaru in Konoha." said Kotetsu._

_"Yeah, we were wondering if we should take it seriously or not." said Izumo._

A small moment passed.

_"No." said Tsunade._

_She knew that no Shinobi that opposed Konoha would be dumb enough to walk right in. Orochimaru was strong and overconfident, but he wouldn't walk right into enemy territory. He would want to have a magnificent entrance that struck fear into its citizens... That and a complicated plan with expendable pawns._

_Kotetsu and Izumo nodded in understanding to Tsunade's answer._

_"Yeah, that's what we thought, but there is more information that worries us." said Kotetsu as he flipped through the papers in the folder._

_"But keep in mind, it is only worrisome because there have been so many sightings." said Izumo._

_Tsunade nodded and gestured for him to continue._

_Kotetsu and Izumo looked at each other and nodded._

_"There have been multiple sightings of the following nation's shinobi..." began Kotetsu._

_Tsunade's eyes already began to widen._

_"18 sightings of Hidden Cloud... I mean, Hidden Lightning nin. 23 sightings of Hidden Mist nin..." began Kotetsu._

_"And along with several sightings of Orochimaru, there have been 12 sightings of Hidden Sound nin." said Izumo._

_Tsunade's mouth was agape._

_"We think that these sightings of Orochimaru, may actually be real because of these correlating Sound Nin sightings." said Kotetsu._

_Tsunade closed her mouth and nodded. She then moved her hand into the air earning their immediate attention._

_Tsunade moved her index finger in a counter-clockwise circular motion, then pointed out the window. This signified an order to round up significant ninja, and search the area._

_They both nodded at Tsunade, then each other, then they looked back to Tsunade._

_"There is one more piece of information that seems astounding. Of all of the ninja sighted, there is one group of ninja that are easily the largest in number." said Kotetsu._

_Tsunade looked at them both expectantly._

_They both looked at the floor, and neither wanted to say it._

_After a short game of rock, paper, scissors, Izumo stepped forward._

_'I fucking hate scissors...' thought Izumo.  
_

_"This information is accurate, and is not a joke. There have been 268 confirmed sightings of what have been called Hidden Ice nin." said Izumo._

_Tsunade nearly fell out of her chair._

_'Could Tyler have sent more information then he let on?! Could he actually be teamed up with all of these villages to take us down? I thought Naruto made friends with the lightning's Raikage... But It could just be a farce seeing that so many lightning nin have been sighted...' thought Tsunade._

_"Alright! We need ALL ANBU on this immediately! All facilities and personnel that have or need clearance of high-security on a normal basis must be searched and/or interrogated thoroughly, as well as a background check to see where their origin lies." commanded Tsunade._

_Both Kotetsu and Izumo looked surprised that she suddenly started talking so much after saying practically nothing and going through the trouble of using hand-signs earlier._

_But regardless of their surprise, they both stood stock-straight and saluted her._

_"Yes! Hokage-sama!" said Kotetsu and Izumo simultaneously. _

_They both sprinted out and left Tsunade alone again._

_Tsunade felt very proud of herself.  
_

_'Ha! I can too do stuff! That was pretty smooth for being drunk, I didn't slur or slip up even once...' thought Tsunade._

_Tsunade got up off of her chair, and immediately tripped on nothing and smashed her head on the desk._

_"Khack!" exclaimed Tsunade when she hit the desk._

_She fell over onto the floor, and rolled around once holding her head, then got up from the floor, rubbing it gingerly._

_She looked angrily at her desk and noticed that a folder was stuck to her forehead._

_She peeled it off, and opened it up. _

_It was the folder that held the currently available ninja._

_She groaned once, then set it down on the desk._

_As though putting down the folder was a trigger, Anko flew into the room._

_"Tsunade-sama! I have just been briefed on the new sighting report!" exclaimed Anko._

_'Already?!' thought Tsunade incredulously._

_"Shouldn't we send a team to investigate this?" asked Anko quickly._

_Anko's eyes were gleaming from the possibility of realized revenge.  
_

_'She's over-excited because Orochimaru is involved...' thought Tsunade knowingly._

_"We need to send our ninja on a mission to investigate this!" insisted Anko._

_Tsunade opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted before she could talk._

_"Of course we can't send our ninja to enemy countries, but we CAN send them to alleged allies! Like this alleged Hidden Ice village!" exclaimed Anko._

_Tsunade opened her mouth, but was cut off again._

_"As long as we can get into just one of the countries involved, we may be able to uncover their plot! So can I choose who gets to go?!" exclaimed Anko quickly and excitedly._

_Tsunade opened her mouth to talk again._

_"Thank you! You won't regret it!" said Anko as she leaned over Tsunade's desk and picked up the folder._

_She looked into the folder for less than a second and smiled._

_"These ninja should do fine! I'll see you when I see you!" exclaimed Anko as she flew from the room, leaving the folder on her desk._

_Tsunade sat there with her mouth still open._

_"I'm glad we had this conversation..." muttered Tsunade angrily._

_These recent events were really a shot of soberness for Tsunade, she was getting less and less drunk by the second.  
_

_Tsunade looked at the folder Anko left on her desk._

_"(Sigh) Well, I might as well call these ninja for their mission... But first of all, where am I?" said Tsunade tiredly._

_After a moment, Tsunade snapped back to reality.  
_

_'I'll start with Itachi...' thought Tsunade with a yawn._

(End Flashback)

"If I wasn't so god damn drunk at the time, then I wouldn't have put everyone in such horrible positions. said Tsunade tiredly.

_'If Hinata's Bijuu awakens...'_ thought Tsunade as she thought of the horrible consequences that could arise.

"Now I have to get that team back here as soon as possible..." muttered Tsunade angrily as she ran down the street and turned left into the food market.

She was trying to get to the Tower as fast as she could. The sooner she got there, the sooner she could assign a team to retrieve the Nibi.

It was pretty easy traveling, it was late at night, there wasn't really anybody out on the streets, and the food market street headed straight to the Hokage tower with only one minor turn.

As she eventually headed around the turn, and a cloaked figure seemed to step out from nowhere, facing the other way.

"Look out!" exclaimed Tsunade.

The figure turned around just in time to see Tsunade before she knocked the person to the ground.

The figure groaned a bit and rubbed their left side which was the first thing that was slammed into the dirt.

"I'm sorry, but I'm in a hurry." said Tsunade.

Tsunade got up and quickly dusted herself off.

She would have immediately left, but the figure seemed to be staring at her from beneath the shadows of his dark tan hood.

"...What is it?" asked Tsunade.

She didn't know why, but this figure's presence seemed familiar.

"...Do I know you?" asked the figure.

Based on the silky voice, she knew it was a man. A rich and elegant man by the sound of it.

"I'm not sure, but you do seem familiar..." said Tsunade as she thought for a bit.

"I was thinking the same thing. You look kind of like this girl I know..." said the man.

Tsunade looked at him in surprise as he slowly got up.

_'Hm... I wonder...'_ thought Tsunade.

"What was the girl's name?" asked Tsunade curiously.

"Her name... was Tsunade Senju. I would see her walking down the street every so often with a boy named Jiraiya. While they trained a lot, I never saw much of it. I preferred to train with nobody around." said the man.

_'He must have been a fellow ninja back in the day...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Well, by the sound of it, that was me. I am Tsunade Senju." said Tsunade in mild surprise.

The figure said nothing but seemed awestruck based on his stance which took a step back.

"Ts... Tsunade?" asked the man as though in doubt.

Tsunade could only look back at him, she didn't know what to say at this point, but apparently this man must have been in her academy class or something like that.

"Is... Is that really you?" asked the man with a slightly trembling voice.

The man walked up close to her and looked closely at her face.

"It really is you... Wow, you have really grown up, you look so much stronger now." said the man.

Tsunade smiled.

"Well, I did do more than my fair share of training..." said Tsunade in slight embarrassment of receiving praise.

"So... you know me... but I'm not sure I know you... You sound familiar in a way, but I can't place why..." said Tsunade.

Tsunade reached forward and gently grabbed the top of his cloak.

"Let me see your face." said Tsunade.

"No!" exclaimed the man as he jumped back a foot, slapping Tsunade's hand away.

Tsunade blinked at his reaction.

"I'm sorry... " said the man softly.

Before she could could ask why, he answered.

"Well... I have been having some trouble lately. I seem to have some form of amnesia." said the man.

"Amnesia?" asked Tsunade.

That word was all too familiar to her, especially as of recently.

"Yes, the last memory I have is of when I was still a teen. When I was a chunnin. But now, I am suddenly much taller and older, and my body feels so very different, its almost foreign." said the man.

Tsunade was extremely surprised.

Not only did this man come out of nowhere, but he knew her when she was young, and he had amnesia to top it all off. Based on what he said, he had to at least be fifty years old.

_'So he has over 30 years of memory loss, and that's at the least...'_ thought Tsunade in amazement.

"We have been studying ways to renew lost memories. We have been having trouble with some of our ninja in that department lately... so if you'll just remove your hood, and show me who you are, I can admit you to the Konoha medical ward, and I can see if I can treat you..." said Tsunade as she took a step towards him.

He responded by taking a step back.

"Please... I... don't think its a good idea that you see my face. There is a reason why I am wearing this cloak." said the man.

Tsunade blinked at him with a questioning expression.

"Every time someone saw my face, they would run away, screaming my name in terror..." said the man.

Tsunade's eyes widened a bit.

"Based on that, and where I woke up, I think that I must have... betrayed the village, and earned a name for myself as a traitor." said the man quietly.

Tsunade stood there with her arms loosely at her sides, her mind trying to make logic of this situation.

Tsunade really didn't know what to do.

The man didn't seem like a heartless killer, and he simply wanted to be helped.

A moment passed and Tsunade realized that she had reached an impasse.

"...If this is true, then I will probably have to put you under arrest." said Tsunade with a serious yet saddened expression.

There was a tense silence, but the man did not make any movement to run, he just stood there passively.

"I... understand." said the man.

"Now, let me see your face." said Tsunade.

She took a step forward, but this time, he didn't take a step back, but at each step, he seemed to flinch at what was to come.

Tsunade stood directly in front of him, and grabbed the top of his hood.

He nodded slightly, so she continued.

Tsunade quickly pulled down the hood and gasped in shock.

She fell backwards onto the ground and her face was fixed in absolute shock.

"Y...y-y..." stammered Tsunade.

Her mouth was wide open, and she felt as though reality was being bent directly in front of her.

"Tsunade, I don't know what I've done... But based on the look on your face... I must have either faked my death, and you are surprised to see me, or I have done something else equally as shocking." said the man.

"At this point, I'm hoping it's not the latter, and that the people running from me only ran from me because I was supposed to be dead, and they thought I was a ghost... But I doubt that is the case..." said the man quietly.

Tsunade suddenly jumped up from the ground with a serious and threatening fighting stance.

"This is some kind of trick." said Tsunade angrily.

She knew this situation couldn't be legit. If this person actually was who he portrayed himself as, he would laugh at her, then tell her sarcastically how smart she was to see through his ruse.

But the man didn't react as she expected.

The man lowered his head and looked at the ground.

"I am not tricking you in any way... If you have to take me in, then do so." said the man.

The man lifted up his hands an pulled back his sleeves to reveal his white clad skin.

He held out his hands out in front of him.

"I will come willingly." said the man.

Tsunade pulled out a CBU from her pocket, and quickly dialed in the number 1, then held two buttons, one being the receiver, and the other remotely switching on the emergency loudspeaker system that sat on her desk in her office.

Suddenly, Tsunade's voice seemed to boom from every street corner.

"Attention all available Shinobi, attention all available Shinobi, immediately report to food market near Seiler's shop, this is not a drill of any kind. This matter is urgent I repeat, this matter is of utmost urgency." said Tsunade with commanding authority.

After a very tense 10 seconds or so between the two, hundreds of Konoha Shinobi of every kind appeared where ever they could fit. On rooftops, in the street, and practically pouring out of alleyways.

It didn't matter whether or not they were a Chunnin, Jounin, or ANBU, everyone had the same look on their face when they saw the man.

Shizune appeared behind Tsunade, and had a look of surprise that she shared with all of the other Shinobi who were staring at the cloaked figure.

"I will come willingly." repeated the man.

"Its... him... This doesn't make any sense..." muttered Shizune in shock.

The shinobi made a circle around the man so that they weren't too close to him. The ninja that came wouldn't dare to get any closer to the man standing in the middle of hundreds of Shinobi.

Tsunade walked forward a bit into the circle so that she could be better seen.

"We are to escort this man into custody, he will be put under level five security in the highest measures. For extra security measures, we need all of you to escort this man to security cell 3. At any time, none of you are to take your eyes off of this man. If he makes any movement out of the ordinary, then you are to kill or detain him without hesitation, depending on the situation." said Tsunade.

Her words portrayed authority and unwavering confidence in her command, but her face portrayed the opposite.

Her expression was angry, but at the same time it was confused.

_'If this is HIM, and not an impostor, and if he IS telling the truth...' _thought Tsunade in shock.

"Then I will not know what to do..." said Tsunade quietly.

"Hokage-sama?" asked a near ANBU member.

Tsunade shook her head for a moment, and returned the looks of all of the Shinobi that awaited her orders.

"Okay, take him away. Anyone who is not currently assigned to a mission within this week, is to stay here. Now go." commanded Tsunade.

The man was completely surrounded by ANBU, and he was thoroughly handcuffed and sealed at the hands, arms, forearms, and fingers, which prevented him from making any hand-signs.

An ANBU with a sorrowful mask jumped down, and formed a few hand-signs, her fingers were covered in five different kinds of chakra.

**"Gogyō Fūin!!!"**五行封印(Five Prong Seal) exclaimed Yugao.

She slammed her hand into the man's stomach, and a complicated seal appeared for a second before fading away from sight.

The man grunted, but still said nothing.

"His chakra is sealed until further notice. Lets go." said Yugao quickly.

The man was escorted under the very watchful eyes of hundreds of Shinobi, while only a very small few stayed behind.

It was quite a sight to see hundreds on Shinobi escorting just one, but she couldn't allow herself to be distracted.

Tsunade sighed, even though this man's apprehension was extremely personal, she knew that she had very important matters to attend to.

There were 20 ninja left there, and she recognized most of them.

About half were Hyuugas.

"Alright, listen up." said Tsunade.

All ninja who weren't already looking at her, turned their attention to her.

"We have an elongated mission that may take anywhere from one day, to a month. So those who cannot perform such a task because of other duties, you may leave." said Tsunade.

Of the 20 ninja, ten left. They still had about 5 Hyuuga to use, and she knew the Byakugan would be a great advantage in finding Itachi's current squad.

"If you are going on this mission, you will be dealing with Jinchuriki, so if you can't deal with that, then leave now." said Tsunade firmly.

She didn't want any Hanyou haters on this mission.

To no surprise at all, the remaining Hyuuga completely left.

"Alright, who have we got here..." began Tsunade.

Fortunately and unfortunately, she knew everybody that was left to pick from.

She started at the left side of the group.

"Sai of Root. Can you perform lengthened duties requiring loyalty to Konoha, outside of this village, despite the fact that we have Danzo in custody?" asked Tsunade.

She wasn't sure whether or not she could trust him or not. Danzo was his mentor, she didn't know where he really stood loyalty wise.

"Hai Hokage-sama." said Sai.

"Do you support Naruto?" asked Tsunade.

"Hai Hokage-sama." said Sai.

"Do you know what his current demon condition is?" asked Tsunade.

"Hai Hokage-sama." said Sai.

"Will you remain loyal to Konoha even when you leave it on this mission?" asked Tsunade.

"Hai Hokage-sama." said Sai.

Tsunade thought for a second.

"Do you wear frilly pink dresses?" asked Tsunade.

"Hai Hokage-sama." said Sai.

"You're not paying attention are you Sai?" asked Tsunade.

"No Hokage-sama." said Sai with a smile.

"(Sigh) Well, who else do we have..." said Tsunade as she looked over the rest.

"Gai and Lee?! What are you doing here?! I thought you were both on reconnaissance missions in the land of Fang!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"We just got back, and we feel fabulous!" exclaimed Gai as Lee gave an agreeing thumbs up.

"Alright, I know where you two stand on Naruto's behalf, but what about... uh..." muttered Tsunade.

She didn't recognize one of the ninja.

"Kiba Inuzuka... Who is that with you?" asked Tsunade.

Kiba looked up in surprise, it was evident that he wasn't paying attention.

"This is Akamaru..." said Kiba with a confused expression.

"(Sigh) no, the one latched onto your arm." said Tsunade.

"Oh. This is Houkou." said Kiba.

"Houkou..." muttered Tsunade as Houkou hid behind Kiba in embarrassment.

_'That name rings a bell... Hm. Lets see now... wild and spiky brown hair, red spike cheek tattoos like Kiba's, sporty build, brown eyes... Yeah, I remember her, but the last time I saw her, she was wearing a robe similar to a Kage robe...'_ thought Tsunade.

She was now wearing a Grey colored hoody that fit tightly on her figure, she had fluffy black fur material fixated on her shirt's collar, waistline, and the ends of the sleeves.

_'If I didn't know any better, she looks like she's wearing Kiba's old jacket...'_ thought Tsunade.

All she wore for a bottom was a white skirt that went down to her upper knees, and that was also adorned in the same black fur that adorned Kiba's jacket, except it was only on the bottom.

_'I hope to God that's not Kiba's as well...'_ thought Tsunade as her eye twitched slightly.

Tsunade looked from her clothes to her face, which was mostly hidden behind Kiba's shoulder.

_'She looks like an Inuzuka, but her facial structure is different, so she can't be related in a nuclear fashion...'_ thought Tsunade as she tried to remember.

_'...Oh yeah! She was that one girl that transferred from Kumogakure, I mean, Raigakure or whatever they call it now... Houkou was supposed to be taught in the Inuzuka's surname heritage and language, to strengthen the relationship between our villages... But since she is from another land, I should keep an eye on her. Especially based on what I've recently heard from Kotetsu and Izumo's report...'_ thought Tsunade as she eyed Houkou up and down.

"Oh yes, Houkou. I remember you now. So Houkou, do you accept this mission, knowing what it involves, and will you pledge your loyalty to helping Konoha carry out this mission?" asked Tsunade.

Houkou, who had been hiding behind Kiba ever since Tsunade said she was "latched onto Kiba," stood up straight and addressed her formally.

"Yes Hokage-sama, I will do anything to help Naruto." said Houkou.

"Yeah, Naruto is a good friend, of course we'll help!" agreed Kiba.

"Woof!" exclaimed Akamaru in agreement.

"Alright then, So it's going to have to be Sai, Gai, Lee, Kiba, and ...Houkou." said Tsunade.

"Alright, its time for you to be briefed. Here is the gist of what you will be dealing with. Hinata, and possibly Naruto, have the ability to cause a level 5 situation that may cause a war between countries based on where they are at the time..." began Tsunade.

"A war?! How?! With whom? Certainly its not the Land of Lightning..." said Houkou.

"Well no, but there are three countries to be worried about. The Land of Snow, the Land of Water, and the Land of Stone." said Tsunade.

"How so?" asked Sai calmly.

_'Time to be vague...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Well, the new alliance that the Land of Earth has with the Land of Water may be an issue. If we try to infiltrate the Land of Water, the Land of Earth may offer immediate assistance in starting a new war. So the only country left is the Land of Snow... which we only have limited data on." said Tsunade.

"Then what data do we have?" asked Gai.

"Seeing that we only discovered it a couple of days ago... nearly nothing." muttered Tsunade in exasperation.

"We know what country we have to worry about now... but why should we even be worried?" asked Gai.

"Yes, certainly we would have to do something HUGE in order to start another ninja war..." agreed Lee.

"Well, if another country with a large ninja force suddenly gets attacked by a highly destructive Bijuu, and they find out that it was from Konoha, we would become accused, and after that, it would be translated into a declaration of war, no matter what we do or say to the contrary. The would just call us liars if we say we didn't do it, and they will argue that we did it on purpose." said Tsunade.

Everyone froze in realization of what this meant.

"A Konoha Bijuu..." muttered Kiba.

"A Jinchuriki then." said Sai.

"Naruto..." whispered Gai.

"I have only seen Naruto use Kyuubi's powers once before, and that was enough. He got so powerful that he gave Chouji third-degree burns just by touching him!" exclaimed Lee as he waved his arms over his head.

"We may have to worry about Naruto, but the main concern is Hinata." said Tsunade.

_'I have no idea how the Nibi's awakening will affect the Kyuubi, so we will just have to be cautious and watch both of them...'_ thought Tsunade.

"What do you mean?" asked Houkou.

"Why is Hinata our main concern? Shouldn't it be Naruto because he's the Jinchuriki?" asked Kiba.

_'Time to be Hokage-awesome and make up a lie on the spot.'_ thought Tsunade.

"Well, to explain it as easily as possible, I would say that it's not Naruto we have to worry about, it's the mental stimulus that could set him off." said Tsunade.

There was a silence to let everyone contemplate this.

"So... What do you want us to do, and what do you mean by that?" asked Gai.

"You need to find Naruto's team, get him home as quickly as possible, and while doing so, you must be absolutely sure that Naruto is not mentally stimulated in any great way. In other words, do what you can to keep Hinata from interacting with Naruto." said Tsunade.

Most everybody had a blush, except Sai.

"Why Hinata?" asked Sai.

Everyone gave him a look of disbelief.

"Where have you been?" asked Houkou incredulously.

"Around." replied Sai.

"Apparently so. Especially since I have over 25 restraining order requests against you." said Tsunade with one eyebrow raised.

"I don't know why, but people don't seem to like me." said Sai.

"Maybe its because you randomly walk into people's homes!" complained Gai.

"Yeah! My mom was pissed when you walked in and talked to her while she was naked in the shower..." said Kiba.

"She scared me away." muttered Sai with a shudder.

"Yeah, you and my father..." muttered Kiba.

"What was that sweety?" asked Houkou.

"Oh nothing..." muttered Kiba.

A short silence fell among the group.

"Wait, did you just call him sweety?" asked Lee in surprise.

"When did that happen?" asked Sai.

"Seriously, where have you been?" asked Houkou.

"Around." said Sai.

"We know..." sighed Kiba with his hand over his face.

"Hm. I figured she was relative or something, based on how close she was to you." commented Gai thoughtfully.

"(Sigh) Listen Kiba, this is important." said Tsunade.

Everyone gathered closer to Tsunade to listen.

Gai and Lee took Tsunade's left, followed by Sai, Akamaru, Kiba, then Houkou.

_'I didn't really mean for everyone to gather around... but oh well...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Listen Kiba, is the two of you being together going to get in the way of this mission?" asked Tsunade.

The group looked at Kiba and Houkou.

"That depends, does sex get in the way of any..."(Whack!)

Houkou smacked him hard on the head.

"OW! What did I do?" asked Kiba as he rubbed his head.

"No Tsunade-sama, it won't." said Houkou with a large blush.

"That means a lot more coming from the lady." said Tsunade appreciatively.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Kiba.

"It means that woman have better sexual control than men." said Tsunade matter-of-factly with her nose high in the air.

"Ha! Whatever! You should see her at night! I'll be walking along, minding my own business, when all of the sudden... BAM!!! sex." said Kiba.

Everyone had their mouths agape, especially Houkou who couldn't believe he just said that in public.

"I am NOT like that!" exclaimed Houkou, flailing her arms above her head while madly blushing.

"Oh yeah? What about just last night!?" argued Kiba.

"What about it? That was... That was completely acceptable..." muttered Houkou with an even deeper blush.

"I was getting the mail!" exclaimed Kiba incredulously.

"..."

"... Wow..." muttered Tsunade.

"It wasn't that bad!" argued Houkou with her eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment.

"I have to agree with the lady, I mean, it wouldn't be so bad as long as it was within your home..." defended Gai with a small blush.

"I was at the Post Office!!!" exclaimed Kiba.

(Group silence)

"I probably won't ever be allowed back in there!" exclaimed Kiba.

"... Well... Look at the bright side, at least there wasn't anyone there that you knew." said Gai weakly.

"I was getting the mail with my mother!" exclaimed Kiba with one hand over his face.

"Well, at least she is within your family, so it doesn't make it as bad..." said Gai feebly.

"I knew almost everyone there! Even Lee was there!" exclaimed Kiba.

Everyone looked at Lee who was staring at his feet.

"I have nightmares about it..." muttered Lee quietly as his eye twitched.

_'How can these people be ninja?' _thought Tsunade tiredly.

"Enough! Okay, I trust that as _Shinobi_ of this village, you will be able to perform this mission without any... I can't believe I actually have to say this... sexual hindrances?" asked Tsunade.

"Yes Ma'am!" exclaimed Kiba in salute.

"You can count on me." said Houkou.

"Not really..." muttered Kiba to Tsunade.

"That's it! You're sleeping on the couch!" exclaimed Houkou angrily.

"It wouldn't matter, you'd have sex with me there anyways!" exclaimed Kiba.

"I-I would not! I have restraint!" argued Houkou as her blush returned.

"Oh yeah? Just like your restraint at the Pub, and the hot springs, and the post office..." said Kiba.

"(Sigh)..."

Tsunade was getting tired of this.

"And the public pool, and our backyard, and the Food Market..." listed Kiba.

"KIBA!!!" exclaimed Houkou while her face turned stark red and she covered her face in embarrassment with her hands.

"Houkou is right, she's your girl! You shouldn't talk about her like that!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Don't you have any shame?!" exclaimed Gai to Kiba.

"Shouldn't you be asking her that? I'm not the one who engages sex in public." asked Kiba as he pointed at Houkou.

"Actually, he has a good point..." said Sai.

Houkou could have died of embarrassment.

Sai could have brought more paper for notes.

Tsunade could have killed them all.

"Argh! Okay! Just get going already! Houkou, even after everything I've just heard about you, I want you in charge. Out of everyone here, you seem to have the best leadership skills." said Tsunade as she threw Houkou the mission-specs scroll.

Houkou caught and pocketed the scroll, then turned to everyone.

"Alright everyone, get your things, and meet back here as quickly as possible!" exclaimed Houkou.

Everyone nodded, then jumped off except Kiba, Houkou, and Tsunade.

Kiba leaned in towards Tsunade.

"Well you're right, she should have the best leadership skills, she IS the Raikage after all, so she's the best choice... despite her... tendencies." said Kiba quietly.

Houkou grabbed him by the ear and pulled him away.

As he and Houkou jumped away, Kiba complaining on the way, Tsunade just stood there in shock.

"She's the Raikage?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

_'What is this world coming to...' _thought Tsunade tiredly.

So much had happened to her in such a short amount of time, tonight was simply crazy.

It was already very late, and whether she had things to do or not, she knew that she had to get some rest.

_'Time for bed..."_ muttered Tsunade.

_"..."_

_'Now then... Where do I live?'_ thought Tsunade in confusion as she scratched the back of her head.

* * *

The sun had already risen, its beams of warmth reflected of off the dew, making it appear as though the trees were coated in liquid glitter at the right point of view.

Even though it was morning and the sun had risen only moments ago, barely giving it time to warm the land, Naruto was very warm.

He was waking up, he could feel his face flushing a bit from the warmth.

As he began to regain his mind from his sleep, he could feel the rest of his body flushing to match his face. He was sure he had never felt so warm in the morning before, especially when he was sleeping outside in the woods.

He tried to get up, but his body felt heavier than normal, like it was carrying extra weight.

He finally opened his eyes to look up through the tree canopy.

He could see light barely beginning to brighten the sky from the direction of the horizon.

Naruto moved his head to look straight forward, and immediately froze in surprise.

Inches from his face, was Hinata's warm and blushing face.

Her long indigo hair was draped all over him, as well as her entire body which seemed to be locked into him as closely as possible.

He couldn't blame her, she probably got cold during the night.

Naruto looked from her curves to her face which was smooshed up against his chest.

Her face was innocent and sleepy, blushing and warm.

_'She is so beautiful...'_ thought Naruto as his eyes got all googly.

Naruto slowly leaned in and kissed her softly on the cheek.

To Naruto's surprise, he saw a shiver start from her face where he kissed her, that traveled down to her feet, and back up to her head, slightly waking her up.

She batted her eyes a couple of times, then took her arms out from around him.

She rubbed her eyes and softly yawned.

_'Still sounds like a mouse...'_ thought Naruto happily.

Hinata put her right arm on Naruto's chest and rested her head on it while mumbling something incoherent.

Naruto almost laughed a bit. She was so adorable he almost couldn't stand it.

_'Well, if she isn't going to fully wake up, I might as well enjoy this while I can...'_ thought Naruto contently.

He looked down and could only see the top of her head and part of her arm.

The sun which began shining through the trees near the horizon, shone on her form, giving her a soft glow.

The texture of her skin was so soft it felt silky. Her perfect skin was only one of the features that Naruto loved.

As he examined her skin, Naruto realized something he hadn't realized before.

He looked over to Ten Ten, who was wrapped around Neji in their sleeping bag that they shared.

He could see Ten Ten's arms, and could tell that they were entirely different from Hinata's.

Ten Ten had a slightly tanned skin, her complexion wasn't perfect, and there was a slight amount of hair on her arms. Basically, Ten Ten had completely normal skin.

Then he looked back to Hinata's skin.

There was one thing Ten Ten had that Hinata didn't.

"She has no arm hair..." muttered Naruto quietly.

He had never noticed before, but she had absolutely no facial or arm hair from what he could see.

Usually whenever he saw any other women, they would at least have a very small amount of fuzz on her arms or face, but Hinata had absolutely none.

_'Wow, she must shave constantly...'_ thought Naruto.

_'I've never seen her with facial fuzz or ANY arm hair now that I think about it... She must shave every day!'_ thought Naruto.

**_"It's more than likely that she waxes if she has that kind of complexion..." _**suggested Kyuubi.

_'That doesn't make sense though, she can't wax her entire arms and face everyday! That would be too painful!' _said Naruto.

**_"Well, maybe she REALLY cares about her appearance."_** guessed Kyuubi.

"Well, she is really beautiful. I guess that could be true..." said Naruto.

"Who are you talking to?" asked Sasuke.

**_"Say your mother!"_** exclaimed Kyuubi excitedly.

_'God damn my Kyuubi complex...'_ thought Naruto.

**_"Kyuubi complex... That's kind of funny..."_** commented Kyuubi.

"Uh nobody, I'm just talking to myself." said Naruto quietly.

_**"Aw...You're no fun."**_ muttered Kyuubi in disappointment.

Sasuke noted Naruto's quieted voice, and lowered his to match.

"Well, as long as one of is talking crazy, I might as well let you in on a secret to even out the craziness." said Sasuke quietly.

Despite the forward direction the conversation was taking on Sasuke's part, his face was not confident. He was looking at the floor.

"You have my attention." said Naruto quietly with great interest.

Saske took a deep breathe, and composed himself for a moment.

"Do you remember when I was running away from you guys after that Konoha team meeting outside the Hokage tower?" began Sasuke.

(Flashback)

_Sasuke didn't want to be with anyone, he just wanted to be alone._

_He jumped across the rooftops, away from the direction of Sakura and everybody else.  
_

_He deserved to be alone, and he wanted the opposite quite badly, but what happened with Sakura really hurt him alot._

_'She turned me down... But it's not like I didn't deserve it...' thought Sasuke emo-ishly._

_Based on what Ibiki told him during his interrogation, he had betrayed the village, tried to kill Naruto, and left with the Sannin Orochimaru._

_While working with Orochimaru, he had also apparently done his fair share of crimes over the three years he trained with the Snake Sannin._

_'I don't deserve to be allowed in Konoha, I don't even know why they let me back in... they should have killed me...' thought Sasuke._

_Sasuke thought about that for a moment.  
_

_'Well, I do know that Naruto is the main reason that they let me back, and they seem to think they can gain something from me by keeping me here. In this body, my fighting speed and skills have increased, but its still too foreign, I can barely control my movements. I may have the power, but I don't have the years of experience I lost...' thought Sasuke._

_Sasuke sat in silence for a moment, and he realized something.  
_

_'Wait... maybe that's what they could gain from me! My memories! If I remember everything, I would remember Orochimaru's locations and experiments! And if they can get that from me, it would easily be worth it to keep me alive...' thought Sasuke._

_Now he had a vague idea of his purpose in Konoha, but now it just seemed all too sour. He felt a little angry at Konoha for taking advantage of him, but that quickly passed, he knew he deserved such treatment for what he did._

_He stop jumping across the rooftops, and landed in a currently vacated street._

_He walked over to a tree that sat in between two houses, and leaned against it to try and relax himself._

_"The only thing keeping me here at this point is... Naruto... and Sakura..." muttered Sasuke quietly._

_Naruto and Sakura stood by and defended him, even after he betrayed them._

_"They were my friends, but I guess I spat in their faces... I don't even know how they can look at me..." muttered Sasuke._

_"Because you are Sasuke Uchiha, not the Curse Mark." said Sakura._

_"Sakura..." said Sasuke quietly._

_Sasuke turned away from the tree and faced Sakura. As soon as he did, he wished he hadn't. He saw that her face was filled with sadness and confusion, and now he couldn't just look away from her._

_" ...You are just buttering up the facts. I talked to Ibiki..." said Sasuke._

_"And so did I, Sasuke." said Sakura quietly._

_Sasuke suddenly felt much more sad than before. If she talked to Ibiki, then she knew exactly what horrible things he did outside of Konoha, but she would also know what happened with his curse mark._

_"What do you know?" asked Sasuke just as quietly._

_"He told me what the Curse mark did to your mind. It draws on the strongest of your emotions, in this case, your hatred..." said Sakura quietly._

_Sasuke turned away from her, but didn't leave._

_"Using your strongest emotion, the curse mark can form your chakra through those emotions, and make a new power, just like elemental chakra. But instead of fire, wind or any elements like that being adapted to chakra, it basically makes a new kind of chakra based on which emotion is used. And if your curse seal chakra is formed from your hatred..." said Sakura quietly._

_She didn't like talking about this, but she wanted to let Sasuke know she was there to help him._

_"Then my curse seal chakra is basically a form of pure hate. One could call it the power of pure evil..." said Sasuke quietly._

_"You aren't evil Sasuke, what Itachi did to you was wrong." said Sakura._

_"WHAT ITACHI DID TO MY FAMILY WAS WRONG!!!" snapped Sasuke._

_Sakura jumped a bit and looked at the ground, but she wasn't all that surprised he snapped. This was a touchy subject for him, and she knew it very well._

_"I know, but now, you have no Uchiha family left. All you have for family, is me and Naruto..." said Sakura._

_Sasuke looked surprised for a moment before carefully studying her._

_"Why do you still help me? Why do you try to assure me? Why do you stick by my side, after all I have done?" asked Sasuke._

_"Because I... Because... Sasuke... I... want to be with you. I know the real you. You made a choice all those years ago when you left us, left me... and now you're paying for it. You are miserable from what I can see, and you probably feel as though you should be miserable..." said Sakura quietly as she stared at her feet._

_Suddenly Sakura's head snapped up with determination and tears in her eyes._

_"But that doesn't mean that you have to make me miserable too!" exclaimed Sakura, a small amount of tears formed in her eyes, but they were quickly brushed away by her arm._

_Sasuke's eyes widened a bit in surprise, and his face showed confusion._

_"What do you mean?" asked Sasuke._

_"Sasuke! You're being more dense than Naruto!" exclaimed Sakura angrily._

_Her fists were clenched and she had taken a step closer to Sasuke._

_Sasuke seemed very taken aback._

_"Sasuke, I want to be with you! You know that I've always wanted that!" exclaimed Sakura._

_Sasuke's surprised face sobered down and he looked to the ground._

_"Even now?" asked Sasuke sadly._

_(Slap!)_

_Sakura hit him harshly in the face._

_Sasuke held his cheek where she hit him, and looked at her in surprise._

_He felt a red mark beginning to form in the shape of a hand on his cheek._

_Sakura had tears running down her face, and she was very upset._

_"I know you don't remember, but... a couple of years after you left... We found you with Orochimaru... and... you tried to kill me." choked Sakura though her tears._

_Sasuke's widened again, but this time he was in complete shock._

_"No... Sakura I... I never would have..." said Sasuke quietly as tears began to form in his eyes as well._

_Sakura stepped in and slapped him again, but much lighter this time._

_"I know! Why do you think I'm even talking to you right now?!" exclaimed Sakura as she angrily wiped her tears away, only to have them quickly return._

_"Sasuke, I... I want to be with you..." said Sakura quietly._

_Sakura nervously inched up to Sasuke and put her face in his, their noses millimeters away._

_"I never want to see you leave me again." whispered Sakura as her tears ran down her cheeks._

_Sasuke could feel her breathe on his lips, and she was getting closer._

_"Sasuke, its alright... even if you think you don't deserve me... You do... After all you have experienced... you need someone to love you... But If I can't convince you that you deserve me... Then please... be with me... for me. I don't want to suffer anymore... I want you..." whispered Sakura quietly._

_Sakura's red lips were so close to Sasuke's that if she moved in the slightest, they would kiss. Her breath warmed Sasuke's face, making him blush. Despite their closeness, Sasuke was too shocked to move._

_He stared into her deep green eyes, and saw the only girl who had ever truly cared for him in such a way. And now the girl that he had rejected over and over, was practically begging for contact._

_Sakura leaned in and finally kissed Sasuke, for the first time in her life, she experienced a kiss._

_He could feel her moist lips on his. He was shocked in place, but he felt amazing. __This emotion he was experiencing was unlike any other emotion he had ever experienced. A warmth swarmed up from his stomach and flushed his face, and he felt this overwhelming emotion begin to take over as he reached his arms around her. He hugged her tightly and enjoyed the contact with her lips._

_Sakura felt Sasuke kissing her back, and she melted into his arms.  
_

_Suddenly Sasuke pushed her away and she fell onto her butt onto the ground._

_Sakura felt like her heart had been stabbed because of such a harsh rejection, especially after all that was said. But the look on Sasuke's face completely changed her thinking._

_Sasuke had a look of complete agony on his face, and was clutching his head in pain._

_"Aaaagh!!!" seethed Sasuke._

_Through his gritted teeth, she heard Sasuke screaming in pain._

_Sakura jumped to her feet, wondering what was causing this, but then what she saw stopped her from getting any closer._

_Sasuke's curse mark traveled up his face, then stop once it covered about half of his face. It stayed for a few seconds before reverting back underneath his shirt collar._

_Sasuke stood there, breathing very hard at first, but suddenly he jumped away, running as fast as he could in the other direction._

_"Sa... Sasuke..." whispered Sakura through her tears._

(End Flashback)

'Sasuke...' thought Naruto.

He looked over at Sasuke, who had a very sobered expression on his face.

"I had wondered for a while what you did that day... But I don't get what happened... Why did you push over Sakura and then run off?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke turned and blinked at Naruto.

"I was expecting you to blow up on me for pushing Sakura... You've really grown up..." said Sasuke.

Naruto looked over to Sasuke.

He was staring at his feet, and looked very depressed.

"Grown up... Everything seems so... messed up. I missed three years of my life, and everybody changed without me. I feel out of place, and unwanted." said Sasuke.

_'Emo...'_ thought Naruto.

"But you're not unwanted, Sakura told you so, and I'm still here, talking to you, without giving you horrible looks, or strangling you for leaving and breaking Sakura's heart..." muttered Naruto quietly.

Sasuke looked at him for a moment.

"You mean you don't want to strangle me?" asked Sasuke.

"I didn't say I did..." said Naruto.

_'But that doesn't mean that I'm not thinking it... DIE Sasuke DIE!!! You bastard!!!(pictures __Sasuke being __strangled)' _thought Naruto.

**_"I'm rubbing off on you..." _**said Kyuubi with a smile and a chuckle.

"I know that you support me Naruto, you always have... I just don't want there to be any tension... you know, between team 7." said Sasuke.

Naruto looked surprised for a second, then looked down at Hinata, stroking some of her soft and silky hair.

Hinata leaned against his hand, and pinned it to his chest with her face.

Naruto blushed a bit.

"Sasuke, Team 7 has been rearranged and has moved on without you." said Naruto as he moved her hair over to one side with his spare hand.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, then down at the ground.

"I figured it would be something like that...." said Sasuke sadly.

"(Sigh) You'd be more than welcome to audition for your spot back, but you'll probably need to be a higher rank first." said Naruto.

"What do you mean? I'm older and more powerful, aren't I a higher rank?" asked Sasuke.

"Nope. That's not how it was for me. After I got back from my 3 year training regimen with Ero-Sennin, I was still a Genin, despite the fact that I could take on Jiraiya one on one." said Naruto.

"You can take on a Sannin?!" exclaimed Sasuke.

"Sssh!" exclaimed Naruto quietly.

Naruto looked down at Hinata to see that she only stirred a little bit before resting into Naruto's chest.

"No, I _could_ only take on a Sannin, now I _can_ drive him into the ground..." said Naruto quietly.

Sasuke looked really surprised for a moment, but then, he just smiled and looked back to his feet.

"You were always the number one most unpredictable ninja..." said Sasuke with a small smirk.

"Heh... So just so there is no more confusion, there isn't any tension between us?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke turned and looked at him.

"I thought there was, but after this... I guess not... Naruto." said Sasuke with an actual smile.

"I glad you think that." said Naruto with his own smile.

_'DIE Sasuke DIE! (Vivid scene of Strangling Sasuke) You Heart breaking baka!'_ thought Naruto.

_**"You know, I've thought about it... you could be a relative..."**_ said Kyuubi with a smile.

"Hehe" laughed Naruto.

"What's so funny?" asked Sasuke.

"Oh nothing..." muttered Naruto.

"No really, what?" asked Sasuke curiously.

_'He doesn't know about Kyuubi yet...'_ thought Naruto.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it." assured Naruto.

Sasuke turned and looked him over for a second.

"Oh no you don't! It's about me isn't it?" asked Sasuke suspiciously.

"No, its not about you..." assured Naruto.

"Come on, don't lie to me." said Sasuke.

A tic mark appeared on Naruto's forehead.

Naruto stood up quickly and glared at him.

"Are you calling me a liar?!" exclaimed Naruto.

Sasuke quickly stood up and glared back.

"I ain't callin' ya for dinner!!" exclaimed Sasuke.

Suddenly, a huge fight-cloud broke out with random shouting and yelling.

All you could see was a moving cloud of dust and random arms and legs of Sasuke and Naruto.

The cloud of dust made its way over to the dampened camp fire while the fighting continued.

"(Yawn) Well good morning everyone." said Kakashi happily.

Suddenly Kakashi felt a hand on his ankle as he got pulled into the fight cloud.

"Aaaah! What's happening?!" exclaimed Kakashi in confusion.

"Baka!" shouted Sasuke.

"Teme!"

"AaaaH! What the Fuck?!?!" exclaimed Kakashi as he was finally thrown from the fight, hitting his head on a nearby tree.

"Dope!" shouted Sasuke.

"Asshole!" shouted Naruto.

"Unloved Outcast!" retorted Sasuke.

Suddenly it became dead silent, and all movement came to a standstill.

"Ouch... Definitely not called for..." muttered Yamato.

"..."

They suddenly stopped fighting, and Naruto was gripping Sasuke by his right hand to stop him from moving.

Kakashi got up from the ground where he was thrown during the scrap, and dizzily wobbled about, trying to regain himself.

Sasuke stood in a fighting stance next to Naruto, and he tried to take back his hand from Naruto's grip, but Naruto wouldn't let go.

Naruto's eyes were shaded over completely black, and his hands were clenched tightly, especially the one around Sasuke's hand.

It was obvious that something inside Naruto had snapped, and most that knew him would hope it wasn't the Kyuubi.

"Let go!" exclaimed Sasuke as he tried to yank his hand away.

Sasuke tried as hard as he could to get away, but Naruto wouldn't budge. He just stood there, gripping Sasuke harshly by his hand with a stone-still expression on his face.

"I didn't mean what I said... you just riled me up..." said Sasuke apologetically as he continued to struggle against Naruto's grip.

Naruto didn't let go.

"Come on! Let go!" exclaimed Sasuke in annoyance.

Suddenly, red chakra began to spew slowly from Naruto, enveloping him, as it began to burn Sasuke slightly.

Naruto's breathing became harsh and forced, His tone seemed to get lower and lower.

His dark red eyes seemed to bore into Sasuke, daring him to make a move.

Then his grip on Sasuke's hand increased to extremely harsh levels.

"Ahh! You're crushing my hand!!" exclaimed Sasuke in pain as he dropped to his knees.

"Naruto stop!" exclaimed Yamato as he jumped up from his chair.

Naruto didn't respond at all, and continued to slowly break Sasuke's hand.

Yamato began to form several seals as he prepared the First Hokage's jutsu.

Meanwhile, Hinata noticed that her warm and comfortable pillow had disappeared, and she began to wake up.

"(Yawn) Errrrr...." muttered Hinata tiredly.

She got up from the ground where Naruto left her.

She rubbed her eyes tiredly, trying to get the sleepiness out of them.

"Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu: Kakuan Nitten Suishu!" exclaimed Yamato. (Hokage-Style Submission Jutsu: Sanctuary Enlightenment Enclosing Palm)

Hinata looked up, and the first thing she saw was that Naruto was crushing someone's hand.

"Naruto no!" exclaimed Hinata.

Naruto looked from Sasuke to Hinata, and suddenly his eyes widened as though he was surprised.

His eye color changed back to blue, and his pupils became less slitted.

Naruto's arms suddenly dropped to his sides, freeing Sasuke and allowing him to jump back.

Sasuke got far enough away and gripped his hand in pain while leaning against a tree to support him.

Suddenly and very quickly, Naruto's chakra completely receded back into his body, and he calmed back down like nothing had happened at all.

"..."

Naruto dropped to his knees, and then to his hands and knees, and his breathing began to calm back down, his voice losing its bass.

"Woah." said Kakashi.

"I know! How did you do that Hinata?" asked Yamato in genuine surprise.

"No, I was talking about the floating trees..." muttered Kakashi as he continued to stumble around.

"...Sit down Kakashi." said Yamato.

"I got em." said Anko.

She walked up from her spot next to Yamato's chair, and stood next to Kakashi to keep him from falling over.

Anko turned and looked straight at Hinata.

"You controlled him..." said Anko seriously.

Hinata didn't pay her any attention, she was too busy worrying about Naruto.

Anko stopped talking to let Kakashi lean against her.

"I know a lot about the Kyuubi, and that was impressive considering." said Anko.

**_"Considering what?"_** asked Kyuubi curiously.

"I dunno, you are different." commented Naruto while in a slight daze.

**_"Different? Different!? Is that it!? She just hates me because I'm black!"_** huffed Kyuubi.

'Kyuubi, you're not black.' said Naruto.

_**"Hush Nigga before I blast you!"**_ said Kyuubi.

'Kyuubi... you're not black...' muttered Naruto.

_**"Shut up Cracker! Yo askin' fo a cap in yo ass!"**_ shouted Kyuubi.

'Kyuubi, nobody likes a racist...' said Naruto tiredly.

Kyuubi paused for a moment.

**_"Really? ...Maybe that's why I was banned from the Netherworld..."_** muttered Kyuubi thoughtfully.

Naruto rolled his eyes, and then thought for a second.

"You were banished from the Netherworld?" asked Naruto.

**_"Yeah... Why?"_** asked Kyuubi.

"...What happened?" asked Naruto.

**_"...Lets just say that I slept with the wrong God's Daughter... Let's leave it at that."_** muttered Kyuubi.

"Are you being serious?" asked Naruto.

He didn't know if he was just making stuff up.

_**"You will never know."**_ said Kyuubi dramatically.

Everyone in the circle was staring at Naruto as he got up from the ground.

"Is he talking to himself?" asked Ten Ten in confusion.

"N-no, he's t-talking to Kyuubi." said Hinata quietly.

Sasuke, who was still tending to his hand, looked up at the mention of a familiar name.

"Kyuubi?" asked Sasuke.

Anko's eyes widened so big it was hard to see her head.

"What?! He can talk to the Demon!? He can actually talk to that Bastard Asshole Fox?!" exclaimed Anko.

**_"Hey now..."_** muttered Kyuubi.

"That murdering Jerkwad!?" exclaimed Anko.

_**"That seems unnecessary..."**_ said Kyuubi.

"That egotistical mythological maniac?!" exclaimed Anko.

**_"She better stop, I'm getting ticked..."_** muttered Kyuubi.

"That bastardized fucked up red rapist!?" exclaimed Anko.

**_"THAT'S IT!!! AS SOON AS I GET OUT OF HERE I'LL..." _**shouted Kyuubi.**_  
_**

**_"Oh wait..."_** said Kyuubi as he stopped and thought for a moment.

"That will be a while..." muttered Naruto.

"That crappy kitsune caper..." continued Anko.

"Okay, I think we get it Anko." said Yamato.

"So... What happened just now?" asked Kakashi as he shook the confusion from his head.

Everyone looked to Naruto, who was still on his hands and knees.

_'Naruto... Are you okay?'_ thought Hinata in worry.

"I dunno, but something bad just happened, I know it did. One moment I was fighting Sasuke, the next, I was filled with an uncontrollable rage. I got so angry, I couldn't hold it in... but what I released seemed like it was held in for... a long time..." muttered Naruto as he thought about it.

_**"If I remember correctly, I believe that Sasuke called you an unloved outcast, and that was probably what did it."**_ said Kyuubi.

"Sasuke called me that?" asked Naruto quietly.

**"_Yes, he did. Those feelings must have been held inside of you for too long without being expressed. I guess that something inside of you came to a breaking point... So... What will you do?"_** asked Kyuubi.

Naruto paused for a moment as everyone watched him talk to his inner demon.

"I won't do anything, because I don't need to." said Naruto.

When Kyuubi mentioned the words unloved outcast, the word caused alot of anger to rise up in Naruto, but this time it was much easier to push back down.

"Sasuke can be an asshole all he wants. But if he wants to be my friend, he will need to act like it. If he wants to keep being a negligent ass, then by all means he can do so. I will simply have nothing to do with him until he stops acting in such a manner." said Naruto coolly.

Naruto, with his eyes closed, walked past Kakashi, Anko, and a surprised Sasuke.

_'Sasuke? When did he get here?'_ thought Hinata.

Just before he disappeared into the shrubbery, Naruto stopped.

"If anyone cares, I am going on a walk for a while." said Naruto.

Before anyone could say anything, Hinata ran off after him and went to jump into the shrubs after Naruto.

In mid-jump Neji caught her by the back of her jacket's collar, and held her in mid-air like a small puppy.

"No way Hinata, I have had the luck of being assigned on the same mission as you, so I will not let you out of my sight." said Neji.

"B-but..." complained Hinata.

"No buts. Besides, Naruto just needs to be alone right now..." said Neji.

Neji turned back to see Ten Ten worriedly looking at him.

_'She is still worrying about me... about us...'_ thought Neji warmly.

"In a little while, he will realize what he wants is to be in someone's company. I should know, it took me a couple of hours before I realized it." said Neji.

Neji walked over to Ten Ten, and put an arm around her.

"While we are waiting for Naruto, lets get some more sleep." said Neji.

Ten Ten blushed a bit and hugged him.

"Hai..." agreed Ten Ten quietly.

Neji carried her back to bed as everyone else still stood in shock.

"Isn't anyone else concerned that Naruto turned like that?!" exclaimed Anko.

"It happened way too easily." agreed Yamato.

"Well, I for one have complete and utter trust for Naruto." said Anko.

"Really?" asked Kakashi in surprise.

"No." said Anko bluntly.

"You sh-should trust Naruto-kun. He is v-very strong." said Hinata.

"Yes, and that is what scares me the most, he could destroy this whole forest with ease." said Anko in worry.

"Th-that's not w-what I meant. I meant his will. His will is what makes Naruto-kun strong." said Hinata strongly.

Anko blinked and looked to Kakashi.

"It's true, Naruto has the strongest will I have ever seen. And besides, if there was anyone to trust, it would be Naruto." said Kakashi as Hinata nodded happily in agreement.

"What did you mean by... Kyuubi?" asked Sasuke suddenly.

Everyone looked over at him.

He was leaning against the same tree, but it didn't look as though his hand bothered him very much.

Suddenly everyone got very tense.

"Nothing, it's just a saying to refer to someone who talks to themselves." said Yamato convincingly.

Sasuke wasn't very convinced.

"A saying?" asked Sasuke skeptically.

"Yes, it started a little after the Kyuubi's attack. When someone used the word Kyuubi as an adjective/etc, they meant that the person that they referred to is crazy like Kyuubi. In this instance, Naruto was crazy like the Kyuubi because Naruto talked to himself." said Yamato.

Sasuke blinked.

_'There's no way something with such an elaborate explanation could be a lie. It must be true then...'_ thought Sasuke with a shrug.

"Oh." said Sasuke simply.

_'God Yamato, you are a very quick thinker...'_ thought Kakashi.

_'I can't believe Sasuke would believe such a blatant lie...'_ thought Yamato.

Kakashi walked over to Sasuke and checked over his hand quickly.

"Nothing is broken, you will be fine." said Kakashi.

Sasuke took his hand back and went to walk away.

"Sasuke." said Kakashi.

Sasuke turned and looked at him.

"Saying such a thing to Naruto... I am not surprised he got so angry." said Kakashi.

"I feel bad for what I said, it was very out of line. He even used that red chakra he used against Orochimaru in the Forest of Death..." said Sasuke quietly.

As long as Sasuke didn't ask about it, Kakashi didn't care.

As Sasuke turned to walk away again, he met with Hinata eyes.

(Glare)

She didn't look very happy with him.

"Well, I'm going to get more rest." said Kakashi.

"(Yawn) Me too, God I love time-limitless missions." said Anko as she laid back down in her chair and closed her eyes.

"Sounds like a plan." said Yamato who abruptly fell asleep on the spot.

Everyone was asleep except Hinata and Sasuke.

"..."

(Awkward silence)

"So... How's the sex?" joked Sasuke awkwardly with a small chuckle.

Hinata turned stark red and immediately fainted.

_'Jeez, I decide to joke around for once, and what do I get?'_ thought Sasuke with a sigh.

Sasuke sat down on Hinata's back like a sofa, and rested his elbows on his knees, with his hand holding his head.

_'I need to apologize as soon as Naruto gets back... I wonder what he's doing?'_ thought Sasuke.

* * *

A couple hundred feet away Naruto stopped at a stream to take a drink.

Once he had his fill, he looked back and forth suspiciously.

After he was sure no one was around, he opened up his bad and reached inside.

He pulled out a Weasel with a very bored glare on its face.

"It took you long enough." said Itachi.

"It couldn't be helped." said Naruto.

Naruto dropped Itachi, but Itachi immediately grabbed his arm, swung on top, and scurried to his right shoulder to perch.

Naruto paused for a moment before deciding that he didn't care.

He reached into his backpack, and pulled out a red colored pinwheel.

Naruto took it and threw it into the ground.

It exploded into a cloud of smoke to reveal Kurenai.

"God it's good to get some fresh air... everything smelled like weasel in there..." muttered Kurenai as she dusted herself off.

Itachi god a tic mark on his forehead, but was ignored.

"So Kurenai, did you prepare the genjutsu seals?" asked Naruto.

"(Sigh) You know, it is complicated enough that I have to actually make a seal that can maintain an affective genjutsu, but I was also only given one night to do so?!" exclaimed Kurenai in protest.

"... So? Did you finish it?" asked Naruto.

"(Sigh) Yeah Yeah..." muttered Kurenai.

Naruto opened up his backpack and looked inside to see an array of seals on the inside of the pack, lining the entire inner surface of the pack.

Naruto looked up at her in surprise.

"Yeah, it'll work. Even the Sharingan won't be able to see into this pack." said Kurenai.

"Wow thanks Kurenai, I..." said Naruto.

Naruto looked up from the bag to see that Kurenai was gone.

He looked around for a moment before hearing the distinct sound of snoring.

He near his feet to see that she had fallen asleep, and was laid down clumsily on the ground.

_'I expected this... But for some reason, I didn't prepare for it...'_ thought Naruto.

"What should I do now..." muttered Naruto.

_**"Well, you could have sex with her..." **_suggested Kyuubi.

"Kyuubi! what the hell?!" exclaimed Naruto in shock.

**_"What? Nobody is looking..." _**said Kyuubi.

"She is over a decade older than me!" exclaimed Naruto.

**_"So?" _**asked Kyuubi.

"...Kyuubi, I'm not going to have sex with an unconscious woman..." said Naruto.

_"And why not?"_ asked Kyuubi.

"First of all, Having sex without a woman's consent is rape, and you know how I feel about that. Second of all, Having sex with a motionless woman just seems wrong, and would seriously turn me off. And Third of all... It's just wrong." said Naruto.

**_"Alright alright, I'll stop bothering you about it... but you seriously need to do that Hyuuga girl."_** said Kyuubi with a suggestive smile.

Naruto turned stark red and froze for a second.

"Where the hell did that come from?!" exclaimed Naruto in surprise.

**_"What? It would be so easy... Just let her know you're there, pinch her on her cute little butt, and she'll faint. After that it'll be easy going."_** said Kyuubi.

Now Naruto couldn't get Hinata's cute little butt out of his head.

"Kyuubi, I would NEVER violate Hinata in such a way... I want my first time to be with someone who loves me and consents to making love with me. I'm sure that Hinata feels the same way." said Naruto.

**_"I am sure she does. But still, she's a hottie isn't she? You know you fantasize about her. You just can't wait to do her, to ravage her until she faints from pleasure. You know that's what you truly want."_** said Kyuubi with an evil smile.

Naruto said nothing, and formed a few hand-signs while deeply blushing.

Then he grabbed his right bicep with his left hand, and put his index and middle fingers on Kurenai's forehead.

There was a poof of smoke, and then all that was left was a red pinwheel again.

Naruto picked up the pinwheel, and put it carefully into his bag.

Naruto went to grab Itachi, but he jumped into the bag all by himself.

Naruto blinked at this then shrugged as he zipped it up.

He put on his pack and headed back towards the group.

**_"What about that Anko chick?"_** asked Kyuubi.

"No Kyuubi... Just no..." said Naruto as his eye twitched a little bit.

* * *

Hinata awoke from the ground.

Her left arm was numb from laying on top of it for so long.

_'I must have fainted...'_ thought Hinata.

She got up and looked around in hope.

Naruto was not back yet.

"(Sigh) Hurry up, Naruto-kun..." whispered Hinata.

"I don't know why you don't just jump him and get it over with." said Ten Ten.

Hinata jumped and whipped around to find her childhood friend quite awake.

Although Ten Ten was out of her sleeping bag. Neji was still asleep, and so was everybody else.

Hinata spun around in surprise and her face slightly blushed.

"I... I d-don't know who are t-talking about..." muttered Hinata with a fake confused look.

"Don't give me that Hinata. I've been friends with you since we were little kids, I know you. You are so smitten over the guy, that you fantasize about him being here just because he is gone for a little while." said Ten Ten.

Hinata blushed and turned away from her, ducking her head and twiddling her fingers.

"(Sigh) Look, If you want him, tell him how you feel." said Ten Ten.

"Oh yeah because it's that easy..." muttered Hinata softly yet snidely.

Ten Ten blinked.

_'She just back-talked to me... She is getting much more brave for some reason... Good for her!'_ thought Ten Ten with a smile.

"I told Neji how I felt. It was hard... But I did it." said Ten Ten reassuringly.

Ten Ten looked towards Hinata.

Hinata was still ducking her head down.

"Well? Tell him!" exclaimed Ten Ten.

"But... But..." stuttered Hinata.

"No buts, it wouldn't kill you to tell him the truth." said Ten Ten.

"Yes it would..." muttered Hinata softly.

Ten Ten blinked once.

"If he turned me down... I... don't think I could take the pain of my heart breaking like that..." said Hinata quietly.

"I had a dream..." continued Hinata.

"It was weird at times, and very realistic. At one point, Naruto held me in his arms and told me that he loved me, It was the happiest I have ever been... but it was just a dream..." muttered Hinata.

Ten Ten blinked at her, she was wondering where this was going.

"It was all so wonderful, and now that I have woken up, I realize how sad I am in comparison..." muttered Hinata quietly.

Hinata's head was bowed to the ground, and she looked very depressed.

_'I guess I can try to cheer her up.'_ thought Ten Ten.

"Well, tell me about the dream, and I'll tell you how realistic I think it is. If I think it could happen, I'll let you know how to help things along in that direction, without having you tell Naruto how you feel directly." said Ten Ten with a smile.

"R-really?" asked Hinata with a tinge of hope.

"Sure, no problem." said Ten Ten sat down next to Hinata.

Hinata blinked once, then sat down with her.

_'Well, if she's with Neji, she's got to know something about this subject...'_ thought Hinata.

"Now, lets hear this dream of yours..." said Ten Ten.

Hinata looked up at Ten Ten's face. She could tell that there was no way of getting out of this without telling her.

Ten Ten was always like that.

"Alright... It went like this..." said Hinata.

"Naruto had a ridiculous bounty on his head from my father, it was over 300,000,000 ryou." said Hinata.

_'A bounty? Naruto had a bounty like that before...'_ thought Ten Ten.

"Already the dream seems unreal, but I'll still continue. While we camped away, we stayed with each other for what seemed like the longest time. It felt like days, and it probably was." said Hinata.

She stopped and looked at Ten Ten, she seemed to be thinking about something, but she didn't speak.

Hinata continued.

"So after those wonderful days passed, Naruto was brought into court after he beat up my father, and he was being trialed for the death sentence. Which is ridiculous, they would never put Naruto-kun or anyone else up for the death sentence without a greater crime. Well anyway, he won the trial, and afterwords, during an argument we had, he practically shouted at me that he loved me. My heart stopped and I was shocked to my core. But then, he disappeared. I followed him in desperation, just to know if what he said was the truth, or merely just something he said to blow off steam. I found him, and he revealed that he loved me. I couldn't have been happier, and I spilled my soul out to him. I told him everything. Then... we kissed, and it was the most amazing thing I have ever experienced..."said Hinata while she stared blissfully into nothing.

Ten Ten merely sat there, and didn't say anything.

"(Sigh) If only it wasn't all a dream..." finished Hinata sadly.

Ten Ten was basically appalled.

_'She thinks that was a dream!? That actually happened!! Well, I'm not so sure about the kissing or the love, but I DO know that the trial was real, and so was Hinata's and Naruto's disappearance! If that was real, and she remembers that along with it, then it is all more than likely true! I have to tell her!'_ thought Ten Ten.

"Hinata listen to me, that ac..." began Ten Ten.

(Thud)

Naruto landed hard on the ground near the fire, leaving a small indent where he stood.

Surprisingly no one woke up from the noise.

Naruto looked over and saw Hinata, and when he did, he smiled.

As soon as Naruto was there, Hinata's happiness seemed to light back up like a Christmas tree.

Ten Ten's eyes widened in disbelief as she saw the look in Naruto's eyes.

_'I can't believe I didn't notice it before! The way he is looking at her! He loves her! Hinata's dream must be completely true! ...But why hasn't Naruto told her that it wasn't a dream? Or why hasn't he hugged her or kissed her if they are already together?'_ thought Ten Ten in confusion.

Ten Ten stood up and looked from Hinata to Naruto.

_'It doesn't make any since, Naruto knows it happened, so why does Hinata think it was all a dream?'_ thought Ten Ten.

Naruto set down his backpack next to Hinata before going to sit down at her side.

Hinata was already beginning to turn red at the prospect of sitting so close to him.

_'I had better be careful about how I go about doing this...'_ thought Ten Ten.

"Hey Naruto, can I talk to you for a second?" asked Ten Ten politely.

Naruto stood back up, noticing Hinata's dismay, his heart twinged a bit.

_'Ten Ten actually wants to talk to me? That's an new one.'_ thought Naruto.

Ten Ten saw Naruto considering her, then she looked at Hinata.

Hinata's eyes were filled with distress and worry, she didn't like the idea of Ten Ten going off to talk with Naruto, especially after what she just confided in her.

Ten Ten gave her a "Don't worry" look, as Naruto walked up to her.

"Sure. No problem, I can talk." said Naruto.

Ten Ten guided Naruto towards the nearest shrubbery in which they could disappear from view for a private talk.

Hinata really didn't like this.

Ten Ten looked back at Hinata and because Naruto wasn't looking, Hinata gave her a different look.

It was something like: "You had better god damn not...."

Ten Ten just smiled back at her and gave her the same assuring look as before.

As soon as they were out of view and hearing range, Ten Ten stopped and looked at Naruto.

He had a genuine look of interest on his face as to what she wanted to talk about.

"Sorry to bug you like this Naruto, but I have a few questions for you." said Ten Ten.

Naruto studied her for a moment before smiling.

"Okay, fire away." said Naruto happily.

It was nice to talk to his friends, especially the ones he never usually interacted with, like Ten Ten.

"Okay, I have to know about what happened between you and Hinata during the time that Hiashi was hunting you." said Ten Ten.

Ten Ten's expression was filled with something Naruto was used to, but it was something he didn't like.

It was the look he got from Tsunade when she wanted answers from him, and it was usually after he did something wrong.

Based on past experience, he knew that there was more than likely no way out of this.

It would be uncomfortable, but he would tell her everything that happened...

_'Well... Maybe not everything...'_ thought Naruto with a blush.

There were memories he had that constantly bored into his mind, and most of them were ones he didn't want Ten Ten to know about... or for that matter, he didn't want anyone at all to know of them...

**"Yeah, especially Hinata's cute little butt... You've been replaying that image ever since you thought it up."** said Kyuubi with a snicker.

Naruto ignored him so that he could talk to Ten Ten.

"Okay, what about it?" asked Naruto.

"Well, you were gone with Hinata for a while there, did anything happen between you two?" asked Ten Ten.

Naruto blushed and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Well, we did get a lot closer, and we got to know a lot more about each other." said Naruto vaguely.

"Hm. Okay." said Ten Ten while thinking.

_'Based on the fact that all Hinata told me is true, he's being truthful enough without being particularly revealing...'_ thought Ten Ten.

"Okay... So did anything happen after the trial?" asked Ten Ten innocently.

Naruto gulped.

He knew there was almost no way of being vague here, not much else happened aside from the fact that they confessed their feelings to each other and made out all over the place.

_'I'll just have to put it as innocently as possible.'_ thought Naruto.

_**"Yeah, something like, we said we loved each other, then we made out like we both wanted sex."**_ said Kyuubi with a chuckle.

_'Hey! wording it that way makes it seem filthy!'_ complained Naruto.

_**"Yes, it may seem filthy, but saying it that way would be more truthful then the way you are going to tell her."**_ said Kyuubi with a smug smirk.

He had him there.

_'Just shut up and let me talk to her.'_ said Naruto in annoyance.

**_"Alright fine."_** said Kyuubi with a huff.

"Well?" asked Ten Ten with an expectant look.

"Well, we confessed our feelings for each other, and then we expressed them." said Naruto.

Ten Ten paused for a moment, she didn't seem to be processing Naruto's words correctly.

"Wait... What?" asked Ten Ten in confusion.

Naruto sighed inwardly.

_'This is going to be harder to say the second time around.'_ thought Naruto.

**_"Say that you had hot steamy sex! Do it!"_** exclaimed Kyuubi.

"We told each other how we felt. I told her that I fell in love with her, and she told me she had loved me for the longest time." said Naruto.

**_"And then you humped like no tomorrow! Say It! Come on! It would be funny!"_** begged Kyuubi.

_'Kyuubi! Shut up!'_ exclaimed Naruto.

"You... You did?! You fell in love with Hinata?!" exclaimed Ten Ten in surprise.

"Yep. Even if I almost got sentenced to death in the same day, it was still the best day of my entire life." said Naruto with a smile.

**_"No, that was the day that you had sex. Say it."_** said Kyuubi.

_'Kyuubi! Knock it off! That never happened!' _exclaimed Naruto angrily.

**_"For all she knows! Just tell her, the look on her face would be priceless!"_** pleaded Kyuubi.

"So... Let me get this straight... You told Hinata that you loved her, right?" asked Ten Ten.

"Yep." said Naruto with a blush.

"And she told you the same, right?" asked Ten Ten.

"Yeah..." said Naruto with a content sigh.

"Then why aren't you two acting more like a... you know... more like a couple?" asked Ten Ten.

As soon as she said this, Naruto's face went to sadness as he looked to the ground.

"Well, after that incident involving a certain Hyuuga..." muttered Naruto with his fists clenched for a second.

The rage inside him built up almost instantaneously, that memory was particularly sensitive.

The look of sorrow and desperation on Hinata's face, the Daishi had her pinned against the wall, the memory was like lighter fluid to stoke Naruto's anger with extra power.

**_"Woah there kit! Relax, or you might do to Ten Ten what you did to Sasuke."_** warned Kyuubi.

Naruto remembered breaking Sasuke's hand, and he took the time to breathe and relax himself.

Ten Ten looked at him curiously, but he ignored her look and continued.

"Hinata has been... very afraid and meek... Much more than usual. Tsunade said that it was a part of some kind of mental trauma, and the only way to cure Hinata was to follow these instructions." said Naruto.

Naruto pulled out a green colored scroll from his weapons pouch.

"The instructions are pretty simple, I just have to give Hinata her space, and let her warm back up to being herself again. There is nothing else we can do but give her our support. So I have been doing that. I am giving her space. If she feels good enough to get closer to me, then she will. I won't rush her, I will wait for her forever." said Naruto.

Ten Ten was googly-eyed.

_'That is so sweet!!!'_ thought Ten Ten with a mental "squeee."

_'And that explains why Hinata is shy, and why Naruto isn't closer to her. After Hinata woke from her sleep, she must have thought that it was simply a dream. But it wasn't! I have to let her know!'_ thought Ten Ten.

Ten Ten took half a step to go back to Hinata, when she thought of something for a moment.

She stopped and smiled evilly to herself.

_'Although... It would be more fun to let Hinata tell him on her own... All I have to do is push them both in the right direction. Hinata will be over her trauma, and they will both be happy, all in one swoop!'_ thought Ten Ten with a grin.

"Well Naruto, I think you are doing the right thing by giving her space. But remember, if she hints at all that she wants to be closer to you, don't hesitate to do so. Hinata needs comforting right now." said Ten Ten.

Naruto thought for a moment while nodding, his thoughts drifting around the subject.

Naruto shook his head and looked at Ten Ten.

"You need comforting too, what you and Neji are going through is pretty harsh." said Naruto sadly.

Ten Ten's mood dropped drastically.

She had been forcefully blocking that from her memory, despite that fact that it was so fresh.

Tears immediately came to her eyes, but she quickly turned away from Naruto so that he would not see her cry.

To her dismay, Naruto saw her tears before she turned.

"Ten Ten. I will talk to Granny Tsunade when we get back. Don't worry, I'll get you two out of this, I promise." said Naruto reassuringly.

"Naruto... This has nothing to do with you..." muttered Ten Ten quietly.

"As future Hokage, It most certainly does. Based on what I've seen and heard, Hyuuga politics is one of the first things I am going to change. I'll say it before and I'll say it again, I will help you and Neji, I promise. And that is the promise of a lifetime." said Naruto with a thumbs up.

Ten Ten was in shock at how casually he could throw around such strong promises. Naruto didn't even seem remotely fazed by such a task that could prove to be impossible.

Ten Ten was choking up on the inside, she felt so grateful for all he tried to do, even when he didn't need to do it.

"Th-thank you Naruto..." stuttered Ten Ten quietly through her tears.

"It's no problem. Now come on, you should lay back down with Neji and get some more sleep before the sunlight completely gets through the canopy." said Naruto with a smile.

Ten Ten nodded as she let him guide her back to camp.

* * *

As Hinata waited for them to get back, she impatiently hugged herself while rocking back and forth.

_'They have only been gone a few minutes... Its no big deal.'_ thought Hinata.

A few minutes later.

_'It really hasn't been THAT long...' _thought Hinata.

A few more minutes later.

_'At least they haven't been alone long enough to do anything...'_ thought Hinata.

Several more minutes later.

_'She wouldn't do anything with him... Would she?'_ thought Hinata in a sudden horror.

A few seconds later.

_'Okay! Where the hell are they!? '_ thought Hinata as she stood up in a slightly jealous rage.

Suddenly Ten Ten and Naruto appeared from the bushes, Naruto had his arm around her shoulder, and Ten Ten looked happy about something.

_'That bitch! I trusted her! I can't believe she's such a whore!!'_ thought Hinata in a silent rage.

"B-back already?" asked Hinata quietly.

_'I'm going to kill you...'_ thought Hinata.

Naruto said something quietly to Ten Ten and she nodded to him.

"Yep, she just wanted to ask a few things..." replied Naruto.

Naruto let Ten Ten go, and she walked slowly over to where Neji still slept.

Ten Ten unzipped the sleeping bag slightly, and slid in comfortably.

_'At least I can pretend everything is alright... just for now...' _thought Ten Ten as she drifted back into sleep, her arms around Neji.

As Hinata seethed in a silent hissy fit, Naruto walked over and sat down next to her.

Hinata shook herself from from her angry thoughts and noticed Naruto had sat himself particularly closer to her than "usual".

And "usual" was never.

_'Oh God! What did she tell him? She told him didn't she! Oh God, Oh God!'_ thought Hinata in sudden distress.

Naruto noticed her looking at him, so he started up a conversation.

"Hinata, are you okay?" asked Naruto.

_'He's talking to me! So does he know?! Did she really tell him!?'_ thought Hinata as her heart pounded in her chest.

"Y-yes..." stuttered Hinata quietly.

It was really all she could manage to say.

Hinata wasn't really saying anything, which didn't surprise him, so he decided to talk for her.

"Ten Ten wanted to talk about a few things. I told her that I would help her and Neji however I could. She broke out in tears and I helped her back to camp." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata's heart rested back into her chest and she took a deep breath.

_'Oh thank God! I guess I overreacted a bit... I should have known that Ten Ten would never have told Naruto anything... And I especially should have known that she wouldn't do anything with Naruto... She's already with Neji for God's sake...'_ thought Hinata as she mentally hit herself.

She now realized that just the thought of Naruto with another women made her go into an extreme rage.

She also realized how stupid her thoughts were now, Ten Ten had been her childhood friend, she never would have done anything like that to her.

Hinata was relaxed a bit more now, it would be easier for them to talk.

She had him to herself, nobody was awake to overhear them, they were completely alone.

Now was her chance.

"Naruto..." began Hinata.

"Ah! Good Morning everyone! Did we all get a good sleep?" asked Kakashi enthusiastically.

_'God fucking damn it all to f...' _thought Hinata irritably.

Hinata breathed deeply and relaxed herself.

She had to be more under control of her emotions.

"I had a good sleep until you woke me up." said Anko tiredly.

"Likewise" said Sasuke.

Naruto looked over to see Sasuke sitting against a nearby tree.

Sasuke stood and walked over to Naruto.

He looked like he really wanted to say something.

"Listen, Naruto... About what I said before..." began Sasuke.

"Apology accepted." said Naruto with a smile.

Sasuke blinked in surprise for a moment before smiling himself.

_'Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja...'_ thought Sasuke with a smirk.

Naruto smirked back at him, then leaned back against Hinata.

"Meep!" squeaked Hinata as she flew up from the ground.

Naruto fell back only slightly and looked up at a now standing, surprised, and wide-eyed Hinata.

"Oops. Sorry Hinata, didn't mean to." said Naruto apologetically.

_'She still isn't ready for any contact yet...'_ thought Naruto.

"Well, its time to start moving again, we need to head east until we reach our destination." said Kakashi.

"What about our boat driver? How will he know when we are supposed to be there? This mission has no time limit..." said Naruto.

"Very astute Naruto. But not to worry, we have already taken the liberty of telling our driver that he should wait a few days for us, so we will be fine just as long as we arrive sometime this week." said Yamato.

Naruto nodded and stood up, dusting himself off.

"Okay, we should pack up." said Naruto.

Kakashi lifted his right hand, and using his index finger with his middle finger, moved his hand in a circular motion above his head.

This meant to round them up.

Everyone nodded and began packing their things.

Naruto put his pack on, and Hinata put her pack on. They both stood there waiting for everybody else to get ready to go.

_'Hinata seems just as ready to go as me... She is very smart to have packed lightly.'_ thought Naruto admiringly.

After everyone got their things together, Kakashi signaled them to follow, and he jumped up into the boughs of the canopy to begin their traveling once again.

* * *

Back in Konoha, Tsunade was making her way to the Konoha prison facility level 1.

_'I can't believe he would do this...'_ thought Tsunade.

After a thorough analysis of their newest prisoner's blood, they found out who he was. He wasn't lying. He was who he said he was.

_'This doesn't make any sense... I need Naruto back here so that he can explain this to me. Surely he must have noticed something strange when it happened...'_ thought Tsunade.

Tsunade opened up the blast doors of the facility, and walked past the guards without any trouble whatsoever.

She had the highest rank of authority. It was no problem for her to get into such top-security facilities.

_'Ibiki has not been able to examine his mental state to see if he was lying about his amnesia yet, but we will know as soon as Ibiki gets back from his mission in the Land of Rice Patties...'_ thought Tsunade.

Tsunade walked through the next set of blast doors, and stepped into an elevator.

The elevator took her down 20 stories before stopping and dropping her off onto a moving platform which seemed to hover over an endless abyss.

The platform moved across the abyss, which took about half a minute.

It stopped next to a platform made of rock with a sealed door on the wall above it.

Tsunade stepped onto the platform, and formed chakra into her hands.

Immediately, 20 glowing points appeared on the door in 2 vertical rows of ten.

Tsunade tapped them all quickly in a secret order, and the door opened.

Tsunade stepped in and the door automatically closed behind her.

The room she was now in was pitch black, no lights came from anywhere.

She took 4 steps forward, 3 steps to the right, 1 step back, 9 steps to the right, and then 90 steps forward.

After that she stopped and reached out her hand approximately 2 feet and pulled a lever, turning on the lights to reveal hidden spike traps and pits that seemed to come from every surface of the room.

Tsunade sighed and opened the next door which sat next to the light lever.

It was a normal room, and there was nothing in it except the next door on the other side of the room.

Suddenly a man with a sword jumped out of nowhere.

"There can be only one!" shouted the man.

_'What the hell...'_ thought Tsunade tiredly.

"Highlander." said Tsunade.

"Correct." said the man.

The man stepped aside and let her pass on to the next door.

She opened it to find her newest prisoner, tied in the middle of the room, and held up by various seals and sealed chains.

After a brief moment, she walked towards him.

This was hard for her to do. Staring into the face of someone who used to be her comrade back in the day.

But now, instead of a friend, he was a prisoner that was not to be trusted.

Just to be safe, the man was stripped of his possessions aside from his normal attire.

His head was hung in what looked like shame or exhaustion, she couldn't tell which one it was.

Tsunade stood mere feet away from him, her eyes closed and her arms crossed.

_'I still can't believe that this is happening... This just seems so surreal...'_ thought Tsunade.

Tsunade opened her brown eyes to see yellow eyes gazing back at her.

They weren't looking at her in any menacing or threatening way, but his expression really threw her off.

It was a mix of confusion and curiosity, something she had rarely ever seen from him.

"Now that you are in the right light, I have a much better look at you. You really have grown older Tsunade..." said the man quietly.

"I am not to trust you in any way until Ibiki can come and interrogate you." said Tsunade.

"I figured as much. You know that I am no simpleton." said the man.

Tsunade nodded.

"And that is why we have you locked up so tightly." said Tsunade.

"Point taken." said the man.

"..."

There was a lengthened silence.

Tsunade looked right into his eyes.

There was no malice. There was no evil.

"Just pure curiosity." muttered Tsunade thoughtfully.

"Hm?" asked the man.

"Nothing." replied Tsunade.

"..."

There was another silence as the man observed her seemingly strange behavior.

"If it is true that you have amnesia, what is the last thing you remember?" asked Tsunade.

"The last thing I remember..." said the man.

Tsunade waited anxiously.

"Jiraiya was beating the crap out of your mother." said the man.

Tsunade looked surprised for a moment.

"I remember that. He never told me why he did it, but I have never forgiven him for it. I completely forgot about it until now..." said Tsunade nostalgically.

"Hm? You never knew why? I thought that he would have told you by now, but I guess he's still just too soft." said the man.

"You know why?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

The man averted his eyes.

"Tell me." ordered Tsunade.

The man paused for a moment before responding.

"I was walking home. I saw Jiraiya running across town, so I followed him and asked him what was wrong. He told me that there was no time, and he sped ahead without me." said the man.

Tsunade just looked at him, her eyes full of curiosity, and she was silently begging him to continue.

"By the time I caught up with him, Jiraiya was waiting outside of your house, behind your hedges. I walked up beside him and crouched behind the shrubbery. Before I could ask him anything, we heard loud voices coming from your house." said the man.

"We overheard you having an argument with your mother." added the man.

Tsunade paused for a second to think.

"I remember that fight, she was mad at me because she found my Sak'e stash under my bed." said Tsunade.

The man paused for a moment to register this, then he continued.

"After the fighting ended, you stormed out of your house, and jumped away from us. I remember this distinctly because it was one of the only times I have ever seen you cry." said the man.

Tsunade said nothing, and didn't look happy that this had been brought up.

He continued anyways.

"I asked Jiraiya what he would do about all of this. We heard the argument between you and your mother, and we knew she threatened to kick you out." said the man.

"You knew?! Why didn't you ever say anything?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"I'm getting to that. After we heard what your mother said, Jiraiya marched up to the door, and knocked quite vigorously." said the man.

"Vigorously?" asked Tsunade.

"He broke it down with the final knock, and he had a shouting contest with your mother." said the man.

Tsunade looked surprised but nodded in understanding.

"I figured that Jiraiya must have said something to anger her when I came back and found them." said Tsunade.

"Indeed. But don't get ahead of me, there is more to know. Jiraiya had begged your mother to give you another chance to become clean, to kick your habit. But she said she had given up on you." said the man.

"Yeah, that's what she said to me before I stormed off." said Tsunade sadly.

"Well, Jiraiya kept defending you over and over, no matter how many times your mother shouted to the contrary. Finally, Jiraiya punched her through the kitchen wall and out of her home, and then he challenged her to a fight. He fought her for only a minute or so before knocking her to the ground. She didn't get back up, but he hadn't knocked her unconscious either. Jiraiya then lifted her up by her shirt collar, and looked her in her eye. This is what he said." said the man.

Tsunade was in shock, waiting for what Jiraiya had said all of those years ago.

"He said: Listen here, and listen good, Tsunade is a wonderful young woman who has unlimited potential. She has the power in her heart to do anything she wants, and you are giving up on her just because of one little problem?! You are her mother. So please, for her, just act like a mother. Give her another chance." said the man.

Tsunade was stunned, her eyes were wide in shock.

"I remember the look on your mother's face, it was complete shock. Shock that a little punk like Jiraiya could shake her mind so badly like that. What he said was true and she knew it." said the man.

"But before your mother could say anything, you jumped out of nowhere and punched Jiraiya off of your mother, and you screamed; You bastard, how could you do this to my mother?! I will never forgive you!" said the man.

Tsunade still had no reaction aside from shock.

"M-my mother gave me another chance later that day... I... I thought it was because she felt bad." said Tsunade in shock.

"It _was_ out of guilt, but Jiraiya convinced her to give you another chance. So because Jiraiya cared so much about you, your mother gave you the second chance you really needed." said the man.

"I... I didn't talk to Jiraiya for over a month..." muttered Tsunade with a small amount of tears in her eyes.

"You may want to apologize to him..." said the man quietly.

Tsunade wiped her eyes with her long green sleeves, staring at her feet in shame.

There was another silence between the two while Tsunade thought about the whole memory.

"So Tsunade... I have been wondering for some time now..." began the man.

Tsunade looked back up at him, and met his glowing yellow eyes again.

_'I always thought his eyes were kind of creepy... except when he got uncomfortable or happy, then they were really googly and cute...'_ thought Tsunade with a small smile.

Seeing her smile, the man used that opportunity to ask a question.

"Jiraiya had a crush on you ever since you were sixteen, and seeing that it has been a great number of years since then, are you two together?" asked the man.

Tsunade blushed and took a step back.

"Woah! Woah now! What gave you that idea?! Were not togeth... I mean... Well... Kind of.... but don't get the wrong idea... I mean..." stuttered Tsunade in embarrassment.

The man smiled at her, and closed his eyes knowingly.

"Based on the raise in your body temperature, heightening of your voice, closing of your palms, locking of your elbows, and your slightly dilated pupils, I calculate that there is an 87% chance that you are embarrassed about being with Jiraiya. But because of your previous speech patterns, and of what you said, I would say that you don't really know yourself." said the man.

Tsunade blushed and turned away from him in further embarrassment.

"Come on Tsunade, I can read you whether you are facing me or not. You are frustrated, confused, and embarrassed." said the man.

Tsunade turned and scowled at him.

"With a pinch of anger, but it is mostly frustration." said the man.

Tsunade sighed.

"You were always too God damn smart..." said Tsunade.

"Hm. Were..." muttered the man.

The word had bothered him greatly recently.

"Tsunade, I need to know, what did I do.. before?" asked the man.

"Hm?" asked Tsunade.

"I am obviously a rogue ninja, I am not dumb, everybody hates me... more than usual." said the man.

Tsunade averted her eyes from him, examining the number of seals on the floor with a sudden unusual interest.

"Come now Tsunade, I don't see how any harm could come of telling me. The only information you are missing of me is whether or not I have amnesia. But even if I didn't have amnesia, and you told me, It would be like telling someone something they already knew to begin with. I cannot see how any harm could come from telling me." said the man.

Tsunade hesitated for several moments before sighing.

"Alright, I'll tell you everything you did, from my standpoint." began Tsunade.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

"All of the sudden... BAM! sex." (lol)

Next chappie is coming out pretty soon.

Please! READ and REVIEW!

I need reviews!

Reviews are the blood that keeps this fic running.

You're review could change what happens in the fic, or even the sequel...

* * *


	35. Tension

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

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"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit... If there was any.

_**Chapter 35:**_

_**Tension:**_

* * *

Tsunade was walking through the crowded streets, and not too many people stood in her way.

On past experience, they knew better.

"Dive! Dive!" exclaimed a man.

While Tsunade walked, a man dove into another man that wasn't facing her, knocking him out of her way.

(Sweatdrop)

"Dude, what the hell?!" exclaimed the man on the floor.

"You should be grateful, I just saved your life." replied the other man.

"What? Get off!" exclaimed the other man angrily.

"Fine, but next time, you're on your own." said the man.

"Whatever." replied the other man.

"(Sigh) Am I really that scary?" said Tsunade.

"Well, seeing that most of the people in the street are cramming themselves into various shops to get out of your way, then yes, you are scary." said a voice from beside her.

In surprise, Tsunade looked to the left to see Tyler, walking calmly along-side her.

(!) [MGS]

_'I let my guard down, he's directly within my blind spot!'_ thought Tsunade.

"Tyler. What a surprise." said Tsunade casually.

"Really? I work for you and I wear a Konoha headband. You find it surprising to find me in Konoha?" asked Tyler.

"..."

"I find it surprising that you find it surprising." said Tyler.

(Sigh)

Tsunade wasn't in the mood for any crap right now.

"Listen. Tyler, does the Hidden Ice have an army?" asked Tsunade.

Tyler blinked at her before answering.

"Why yes, we have an army." said Tyler.

"..."

They continued walking, and Tyler didn't look as though he would say anything else.

"...And what does it consist of?" asked Tsunade finally.

Tyler blinked at her again.

"People." said Tyler.

_'He loves being vague...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Why? Doesn't your army consist of people?" asked Tyler.

"(Sigh) Yes it does, but what do those people do?" asked Tsunade.

"They are ninja." said Tyler.

"(Sigh) I already guessed that." said Tsunade.

"Then why did you ask?" asked Tyler.

_'He's starting to piss me off, and he isn't even trying...'_ thought Tsunade with clenched fists.

"Well can you tell me how many there are?" asked Tsunade.

"Enough to have an army." said Tyler.

Tsunade was turning livid on the inside, but on the outside she appeared normal.

"Listen, if you are merely going to ask me repetitive, trivial, and remedial questions, then I must get going, I have better things to do than this." said Tyler.

"Wait. What are you planning?" asked Tsunade quickly.

Tyler stopped walking and looked at her questionably.

"Well, I was thinking about dinner tonight... Other than that, I don't really want to share any personal plans that I don't need to reveal." said Tyler.

"Personal plans?" asked Tsunade.

_'So he is hiding something...' _thought Tsunade.

"Yeah you know, like marriage, or if I'm going to have kids. Stuff like that." said Tyler.

"What? No, I didn't mean that, I meant with the Ice Village." said Tsunade.

Tyler walked away.

Tsunade blinked for a moment before following.

"I am keeping up to date with my village. Nothing really exciting has happened lately, but the village was thinking of starting an alliance with the Leaf." said Tyler.

Tsunade quietly gasped.

"An alliance?" asked Tsunade casually.

"Yeah. This is my second favorite village, so I wish to do whatever I can to help it." said Tyler.

_'He isn't giving me any reasons as to why their village would do such a thing... He must be lying or just kidding. Someone's personal preference to a village has nothing to do with the decision to become allies with it.'_ thought Tsunade.

Tyler abruptly changed directions in a sharp 90 degree turn to the left.

Tsunade almost ran into him, but she kept following him.

"Why are you suddenly asking me all of these questions again? Has something come up?" asked Tyler.

"I might as well tell you, I don't see how it could hurt." said Tsunade.

Tyler cocked his head slightly to one side in curiosity.

"There have been many sightings of Ice ninja being seen in Konoha." said Tsunade.

Tyler stopped and his eyes widened slightly before quickly returning back to normal.

He caught Tsunade looking at his face, so he pushed his sunglasses up so that she couldn't see his eyes.

_'Is he going to run for it?'_ thought Tsunade.

She shifted her footing slightly to prepare for a running battle.

"Was there any specific descriptions?" asked Tyler.

Tsunade blinked, she wasn't expecting this.

"Yes. Out of all of the sightings, only a few came with a good enough description." said Tsunade.

Tsunade rustled around in her pocket and pulled out Kotetsu's report.

"The first one says: Shoulder length brown hair. Black cloak. Really baggy dark blue pants. Around 5' 7", female, about 18 years of age. That is all the report says." said Tsunade.

Tsunade looked up from the papers to see an uncomfortable look on his face.

"I am sorry to be so rude, but I need to leave now." said Tyler.

He disappeared instantly, not giving Tsunade any chance to stop him.

"Well, you've done it again Tsunade, you let him go, and you found nothing out..." muttered Tsunade with a sigh.

"(Gasp) Hey!" exclaimed a voice from behind her.

She turned to see a girl running quickly towards her.

_'Long brown hair, black cloak, really baggy dark blue pants, around 5' 7", female, and about 18 years of age__'_ thought Tsunade.

The girl ran directly up to her and looked her in the eye.

"Are you Tsunade, the Godaime?" asked the girl.

Tsunade blinked at her.

"Yes... I am Tsunade." said Tsunade while studying her.

_'She doesn't seem like a bad person, nor does she seem like much of a threat. Why did Tyler run when I mentioned her description?'_ thought Tsunade.

"Yes! Finally! I have been looking everywhere for you!" exclaimed the girl.

"Really? Did you check the office hours between 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M.?" asked Tsunade.

"You have an office?" asked the girl incredulously.

_'Evidently not...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Who are you?" asked Tsunade.

"Oh. My name is Ashley." said Ashley with a quick bow.

Tsunade paused for a moment.

_'Well, I know she is an Ice ninja... Maybe now I can get some answers...'_ thought Tsunade.

"What do you need me for?" asked Tsunade.

"I need help to find someone that I know is here." said Ashley.

"Oh? And who might that be?" asked Tsunade.

"His name is Tyler Satou." said Ashley.

(Realization!)

_'That explains why he ran, but who is she? How is she connected to Tyler, or to the Ice ninja's appearances around the village?'_ thought Tsunade.

"Why are you looking for him, is he a criminal?" asked Tsunade.

"Oh nothing like that! I just want him to come back to Koori, he is away too often." said Ashley.

"I see... Well is that you're only business in Konoha?" asked Tsunade.

"For now. But first I need to find Tyler. It is very important." said Ashley.

_'She is hiding something from me as well. She isn't lying, but she isn't telling me everything either...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Tsunade!" exclaimed a loud voice.

They both turned to see Jiraiya gallivanting towards them.

Jiraiya skidded to a halt and looked at Tsunade.

"Tsunade. Kotetsu called me and said that he couldn't reach you." said Jiraiya.

"Damn it... What was it all about?" asked Tsunade.

"Something about loud noises coming from your office." said Jiraiya.

"Loud noises? Why doesn't Kotetsu just take care of it himself? Its only noon, so he is still working at the tower!" complained Tsunade.

"He said that he would have, but he didn't want to walk in on them." said Jiraiya.

"Walk in on them? Walk in on whom?" asked Tsunade.

"Shizune and some school teacher." said Jiraiya with a shrug.

"School teach... Iruka! Oh my God! I knew I shouldn't have given her the keys to my room AND my secret hot tub!!" exclaimed Tsunade in horror.

She suddenly disappeared in a shunshin.

Jiraiya and Ashley were left standing alone in the street, people walking around them, continuing their normal routines.

"That was rude." said Ashley.

"Yeah, that's Tsunade." sighed Jiraiya.

"Is she always like this?" asked Ashley.

"That depends. Is it a Leap year?" asked Jiraiya.

"..."

"Yes, but why did you ask if it was a Leap year?" asked Ashley.

"It doesn't really matter, she's like that year-round." muttered Jiraiya.

People walking by were looking at Ashley strangely, her outfit was quite different from everybody else's.

"..."

"But I love her to death..." sighed Jiraiya in defeat.

"You know, love does weird things things to a person..." said Jiraiya.

"Tell me about it." said Ashley with a sigh.

Jiraiya studied her for a moment.

"Want to talk about it?" asked Jiraiya.

"Not especially, but can you help me find a person?" asked Ashley.

"Sure, if they're on our payroll, I can find them." said Jiraiya.

"I'm not too sure about that." said Ashley.

She folded her arms at her chest and closed her eyes.

"He's very hard to find. Even your best men couldn't find him if he didn't want to be found." said Ashley with confidence.

"Really... Is that so? Well I suppose there's nothing left for me to do but try and help you." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya raised his hand up slightly and beckoned someone to come over to him.

Ashley looked to where he was signaling, but there was nobody there.

She turned back to see 3 ANBU members at Jiraiya's side.

"We need to find someone in this village, but this young lady here doesn't think you can do it." said Jiraiya.

The 3 ANBU looked over to her.

(Glare)

(Ice Nin Sweatdrop)

"I said that if he didn't want to be found, he couldn't be found. Even if he isn't hiding, you probably still won't find him." said Ashley.

"I bet you 50,000,000 ryou that we can find him in less than an hour." said Yugao confidently.

"Alright, I'll bet you 50,000,000 ryou that you won't find him." said Ashley immediately.

Ashley reached forward and shook her hand.

They both nodded to each other in agreement as they shook hands.

"Alright, who is this guy?" asked Towa.

"Yeah, who's the guy we're going to find in less than an hour?" asked Komachi.

"His name is Tyler. Based on such an uncommon name, you should be able to go on that alone." said Ashley.

"Wait. Tyler? Tyler of the Satou clan?!" asked Komachi.

Ashley had a worried expression when they knew his name.

"Crap! You're out 50,000,000 ryou Yugao!" exclaimed Towa.

"Not if we find him in an hour!" exclaimed Yugao desperately as she disappeared in a shunshin.

"In an hour?! We've been looking for this guy for a week!" exclaimed Towa as he disappeared as well.

Ashley had her mouth hanging slightly open.

"You're looking for him!? What did he do now!?" exclaimed Ashley in worry.

_'Now? He's done things before?'_ thought Jiraiya.

"Why, do you know him personally?" asked Komachi.

"Yes! I know him better than anyone! Now what did he do?!" demanded Ashley.

She studied her for a second through her ANBU mask.

_'She seems quite adamant...'_ thought Komachi.

"Well... technically nothing... But we have reason to believe that he is involved in an international conspiracy against Konoha." said Komachi.

"Impossible! He would never do anything like that! He may be crazy, but he is pure good! He wouldn't hurt anyone if they didn't deserve it..." assured Ashley.

Jiraiya turned to Ashley and stood close to her.

"Would you bet you're life on that?" asked Jiraiya.

"This life and the next." said Ashley quickly.

Jiraiya blinked at her fast response.

"Alright. Komachi, take down the wanted posters, and call off all rewards and missions to find Tyler. I'll take this into my own hands." said Jiraiya.

"Hai Sage-sama!" saluted Komachi as she disappeared in a shunshin.

"Don't worry, I'll find him soon." said Jiraiya.

"I am very grateful, but what makes you so confident?" asked Ashley curiously.

"I have you. You may know everything about him, but you don't know your surroundings while you are here. With your knowledge of him, and my knowledge of Konoha, we should have him in no time." assured Jiraiya.

Ashley nodded with a thankful smile.

Jiraiya began to walk, and Ashley followed.

"Now, what does he need more than anything?" asked Jiraiya.

Ashley blushed darkly.

"What? Oh! I didn't mean that! I meant something physical, something he has to buy." said Jiraiya.

Ashley kept blushing.

"Okay, not sex." assured Jiraiya.

Ashley nodded and immediately replied.

"Sugar." said Ashley.

"Sugar?" asked Jiraiya.

"Sugar." said Ashley.

"Well I could have figured that out, all men need a little sugar from time to time." said Jiraiya.

Ashley blushed slightly and shook her head.

"No I mean sugar as in the white stuff you eat with desserts." said Ashley with a hand over her face.

"So... he's gay?" asked Jiraiya.

"Gah! It doesn't have to do with sex!!! He needs sugar! The product you buy in bags, comes from sugarcane, used as a sweetener! Sugar!!!" exclaimed Ashley.

"Oh... Oh! So... why does he need sugar?" asked Jiraiya.

"(Sigh)That's his business. I'm not going to go around revealing his secrets. He trusts me." said Ashley.

"Does he now... Maybe we can use you to draw him out." said Jiraiya thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin.

Ashley looked sadly down at her feet.

"You can't use me, he is avoiding me." said Ashley.

"Avoiding you? Why?" asked Jiraiya.

"He... works in the same department as me. I am the liaison for Koorigakure." said Ashley.

"Koorigakure? THE Koorigakure?" asked Jiraiya incredulously.

"No the other one." said Ashley sarcastically.

"Well, if you're the liaison, then that means that Tyler isn't the liaison like he portrayed himself. So why is he here?" asked Jiraiya.

Ashley paused for a moment before responding.

"I'm not quite sure of that myself. I... live around where he does, and I see him all of the time, but... I have been trying to find him for over 6 months." said Ashley.

"6 months!?" exclaimed Jiraiya.

"Yes, at first I thought he was just working harder, and had to be away more, but after a while, I did a little investigating, and I found out that he had been doing a lot of traveling. The Hidden Sound, the Hidden Rain, you name it! He was traveling everywhere! But finally I narrowed down my search to Konoha. And here I am." said Ashley.

"You suddenly didn't see him for six months? That seems a bit extreme to happen so suddenly..." said Jiraiya.

"Well, actually, I saw him regularly. Every night I would see him... But lately, I just don't know where he is." said Ashley.

Jiraiya was a bit confused about the whole situation, but he knew what was going on.

He knew that look.

She seemed insecure, sad, and run down.

_'Seeing someone who cares so much about their friends really warms my heart...'_ thought Jiraiya with a smile.

"You must have needed a good reason to go search after him. You can't just leave your village." said Jiraiya.

"Yes. Tyler has an important job in Koorigakure. He has talents that are needed in our village. He needs to return, no one else can do his job." said Ashley.

"Talents? What kind of talents?" asked Jiraiya.

"You'll know if you ever meet him." said Ashley.

_'She is being awfully vague for some reason...'_ thought Jiraiya.

"Well, if I do my job right, that will be tonight." said Jiraiya with a smile.

"Not likely." assured Ashley.

Jiraiya paused for a moment to study her again.

_'I had better not let her out of my sight. She is an Ice nin, and although we have no evidence to prove that they have done anything wrong, I should still pay close attention to where she goes, and what she does.'_ thought Jiraiya.

"Well I suppose this makes me your official tour guide. You'll need a place to stay, assuming you don't have one." said Jiraiya.

"Well, I've been sleeping in this tree..." began Ashley.

"Unacceptable! A pretty young lady like you should never have to weather through such harsh conditions!" exclaimed Jiraiya.

"You think I'm pretty?" asked Ashley with a blush.

"Well certainly. With your looks, the guys will be easy pickings around here!" laughed Jiraiya.

While Ashley blushed, Jiraiya walked her down the market.

"Now, what you said about sugar..." said Jiraiya.

* * *

On the far side of town in a wooded area, a figure rushed carefully through trees.

He was trying to move as fast as possible without being suspicious.

_'The Town is bustling... Time for me to report in...' thought the man.  
_

His cloaked figure continued to rush through the trees, avoiding any confrontations with people if he could.

He stopped to see a guard tower coming up in the wooded area ahead.

_'Looks like I should cut through town for a bit here...'_

He jump onto the nearest market roof near the edge of town, and began his perfectly calculated path.

_'Based on the lack of ANBU, it seems they have been preoccupied with another task. But it only makes it easier for me.' thought the man.  
_

He rushed over the market district, keeping himself cloaked.

* * *

"One family order of Cheeseburgers to go!" exclaimed Bryant.

"Comin' right up." said a voice from the kitchen.

The Seiler shop was busy today, there looked to be a lot of business in the trading market.

_'It's just more money for me...'_ thought Bryant.

"Here you are. A family order of cheeseburgers to go." said the voice from the kitchen.

Bryant to turned around to take the order from his part-time employee, Tyler Satou.

"I will never figure out how you do that so fast." said Bryant.

He exchanged the order for money from the customer.

"And I'll probably never tell you." said Tyler with a smile.

(Thud)

"God damn it." said Bryant.

He stuck his head out from underneath his shop's drapes.

"Hey! You in the Cloak! Next time you come through, don't land on my roof, it might not hold your weight!" shouted Bryant loudly.

The figure stopped for a second before nodding and continuing on.

_'That was too close, the ANBU could have caught me right there... Well, whatever the ANBU are distracted with, it seems to have their attention for now. I need to get to Suna as quickly as possible.' thought the man.  
_

As the man disappeared, Bryant ducked back into his shop and turned to Tyler.

"Stupid people. The roof is only made of tin..." said Bryant with a sigh.

"I've told you over and over that I could strengthen it for you." said Tyler.

"Whatever. If it works, it works. I don't need to change it if I don't have to." said Bryant stubbornly.

Tyler shrugged.

"If you are so willing to do something for me, why don't you wash the day's worth of dishes?" asked Bryant.

"Okay." said Tyler as he disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Done." said Tyler.

"You are just too quick... I can't even imagine you going to the bathroom..." muttered Bryant.

"You think too hard. Oh, customer." pointed out Tyler.

Tyler paused for a moment, realizing that the customers were ANBU members.

"Bryant, don't be thrown off by my Spanish accent." said Tyler quickly.

"What?" asked Bryant in confusion.

"You guys still serving those awesome cheeseburgers?" asked Towa.

"I'll see if my help still has the grill heated up." said Bryant.

"Hey..." began Bryant.

Tyler suddenly popped out from the kitchen, and he had on a giant black mustache.

"Si?" asked Tyler.

Bryant blinked for a moment before continuing.

"I need two cheeseburgers." said Bryant.

"Dos Cheeseburgers... si." replied Tyler.

"Wait." said Yugao.

Tyler froze.

"Have we met before?" asked Yugao.

"Hey yeah you're right, he does seem familiar..." muttered Towa thoughtfully.

Two ANBU members were staring right at him.

"I speak no English." said Tyler.

"No English? What then?" asked Yugao.

"Spanish por favor." said Tyler.

"Spanish? Bueno." said Towa.

_'Crap, I don't know any more Spanish...'_ thought Tyler.

"Uh... Si." guessed Tyler.

"We are looking for this man." said Yugao.

"Haber tu mirar esto hombre?" translated Towa.

He held up a picture of Tyler.

"Have you seen him?" asked Yugao.

"No lo has visto, ¿verdad?" asked Towa.

"No." said Tyler simply.

"Hm..." muttered Towa.

"Well, I guess we'll have to keep looking." said Yugao.

"Well, you do look a lot like him." said Towa.

"Do you have any family maybe? Someone else that looks like you?" asked Yugao.

Tyler froze on what to say.

"No tiene familia." guessed Tyler quickly.

"Oh. Well, if you ever see this man, give us a call." said Yugao.

"Si. Dos cheeseburgers." said Tyler as he handed them their order in a bag.

"Thanks. We'll probably come again!" said Yugao.

"Adios!" said Towa.

The two ANBU disappeared from view, and Tyler ripped off his fake mustache.

After Bryant finished counting his money, he put it in his cash box, and turned to Tyler.

"Okay dude, what the hell was that all about?" asked Bryant.

"(Sigh) Someone from my village came here looking for me." said Tyler.

"Oh. So you aren't done here yet?" asked Bryant.

"No, not yet. Soon though, very soon." said Tyler dramatically.

"..."

They both stood there awkwardly with nothing else to say.

"..."

"How the hell did he know Spanish?" asked Bryant.

* * *

It was a nice day, and the lack of harsh climate fronts through the forest areas would insure a pleasant night.

"Its been a great day so far." commented Yamato.

"Yeah." said Naruto.

Naruto didn't even give him a glance.

"Something on your mind Naruto?" asked Yamato.

"If there wasn't always something on my mind, I would be a zombie." said Naruto.

"You know what I mean." said Yamato.

Their little spat had so far gained the attention of the rest of the team.

Naruto quickly looked at all of them, making them turn their attention elsewhere.

"I don't want to tell you, it's private." said Naruto.

"Alright. I won't push it any farther." assured Yamato.

They continued jumping for a few more minutes before Ten Ten spoke up.

"Alright, we have been traveling at this speed for 7 hours straight. I am getting exhausted!" panted Ten Ten.

Yamato looked among the team to see that even Neji looked quite weathered.

"Alright, we'll set up camp right up here in that next clearing." said Kakashi.

They all landed in the clearing, and Ten Ten fell over onto her back.

"Gah!" breathed Ten Ten.

"Finally!" exclaimed Anko as she dropped her stuff, falling over as well.

"Hm. I guess I was getting pretty tired myself." said Kakashi as he gently lowered his pack to the ground.

"Hm." grunted Sasuke as he leaned back against the nearest tree.

Naruto looked around to see that everyone looked like they needed a break.

_'A long break...'_ thought Naruto.

**_"Humans are so weak..."_** commented Kyuubi.

_'We aren't weak. Some just have strengths that rely in other things. For some, endurance is a cinch, for others it is hell.'_ said Naruto.

**_"Hehe..."_** chuckled Kyuubi.

_'What?' _asked Naruto.

**_"You really can't say that anymore."_** said Kyuubi.

_'What? Say what?'_ asked Naruto in confusion.

**_"We. You said that WE aren't weak. When you said We, you insinuated that you were a human, and that you along with your kind, the humans, weren't weak."_** said Kyuubi.

_'Yeah, so?'_ asked Naruto.

**_"You aren't human anymore kit. You are a Hanyou, a breed far superior to any human."_** said Kyuubi.

_'I'm still human! I am not a demon!' _exclaimed Naruto angrily.

**_"I didn't say you were a demon kit, I said you were a Hanyou, a half-demon." _**corrected Kyuubi.

_'Whatever! I am still human!' _exclaimed Naruto defiantly.

**_"(Sigh) Kit look around you."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto looked to each person on his team, each person looking more tired than the last.

**_"You see? They are tired, while you haven't even broken a sweat. You are an entirely different breed. You are a Hanyou."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto eyes shifted from Ten Ten laying on the floor with Neji, then he looked to Hinata.

Naruto smiled a bit.

_'Ha! What about Hinata? She doesn't look tired at all!'_ said Naruto happily.

**_"The Hyuuga girl may still be human, but remember, she has the power of a demon within her as well."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto's head drooped slightly.

He still had not told Hinata about her Bijuu.

_'I am not looking forward to that conversation.'_ said Naruto quietly.

Naruto paused for a moment to watch Hinata take off her pack.

She began emptying her pack out, just like everybody else was doing with their own.

**_"Do you still insist to argue that you are human?"_** asked Kyuubi.

Naruto didn't say a word, but Kyuubi knew what he was thinking.

**_"Kit, face facts."_** said Kyuubi.

_'I'm no God damn demon.'_ said Naruto.

**_"Kit... You have a fox tail hidden in your pants, and fox ears on top of your head hidden under a hat. Sooner or later, you are going to have to face this. It is not such a bad thing, we had a talk about this before."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto paused for a moment, then sighed.

_'You are right. I am half demon... But I am also half-human.' _said Naruto.

Kyuubi had nothing to say about that.

Naruto nodded and took off his pack as well, laying it next to Hinata's.

Hinata blushed slightly as Naruto kneeled down close to her to began to unpack his own things.

_'Naruto...' _thought Hinata with a blush.

"Alright, I have to admit that I'm pretty beat." said Neji.

He laid down his pack and laid himself down on the grass.

"Yes, we should probably stop for the day. There is no reason to push it when we don't need to." said Kakashi.

"Yeah, we are already pretty close aren't we?" asked Anko as she laid down on the grass.

"Lets see here... hm... we are a little bit over 3/4ths of the way there." said Kakashi as he sat down.

Everyone began to lay down on top of the smooth grass that the clearing offered.

Ten Ten laid back against Neji who was already napping.

"Alright, we should be at the Land of Waves by tomorrow!" exclaimed Ten Ten.

"Hoo Rah." said Anko sarcastically as she weakly raised her fist, letting it plop back down to the ground.

Sasuke watched as everyone casually unpacked their things and got comfortable.

_'I still don't see any signs that Itachi is here. I have scanned everyone thoroughly, but there isn't anything out of the ordinary. On top of that, nobody has done anything suspicious as of yet... Well... I guess I'll still keep an eye out on things...'_ thought Sasuke.

"Well, should we set up camp?" asked Kakashi.

There was no response, everyone looked to be asleep except Naruto, Hinata, and himself.

"This grass... feels too good... nap." muttered Anko.

He looked over to see that even Sasuke was asleep, leaning against a tree.

_'Yasu... My only family left... What she said must have merit. So I will have to bide my time. I will wait for Itachi to appear.'_ thought Sasuke as he pretended to sleep.

"(Sigh) I guess it's just us three..." said Kakashi with a smile.

Naruto and Hinata were gone.

"..."

"Son of Icha..." muttered Kakashi.

* * *

Naruto was rushing quickly through the forest, trying to be elusive.

Hinata was piggybacking on Naruto, gripping onto him despite his rash decision to leave Kakashi so quickly.

"N-Naruto! Where are we going!?" exclaimed Hinata.

Naruto skidded to a halt onto the ground and turned back to look at her.

"Over here." said Naruto.

Naruto dropped off Hinata gently onto the ground.

Hinata brought her hands up to her chest and began poking her index fingers together.

_'N-Naruto was so close to me just now...'_ thought Hinata with a blush.

"W-why?" asked Hinata.

Naruto watched her hands fidget while she blushed.

_'Cute...' _thought Naruto.

"If we are all of the way out here, Kakashi can't make us help to set up camp." said Naruto with a smile.

"Naruto... that's not n-nice..." said Hinata with a smile.

"You seem to be fine with it. You're smiling too." said Naruto.

Hinata blushed darker and turned away from him slightly.

"Well, we are out in the middle of the woods with nobody around, what do you want to do?" asked Naruto.

Hinata blushed and turned completely away from him to hide her stark red face.

"M-maybe w-we... um... I mean..." said Hinata very quietly.

"Maybe we could what?" asked Naruto.

"..."

"...W-well... we c-could just... talk." said Hinata quietly.

Naruto studied her for a moment.

"You have something you want to talk about?" asked Naruto.

"Y-yes." muttered Hinata.

"..."

"Well, what is it?" asked Naruto.

_'I... I can't do it... I can't just out and tell him I love him...' _thought Hinata.

"Um... Y-you have Kyuubi no Yoko s-sealed inside you... What is it l-like?" asked Hinata meekly.

Naruto blinked at her question.

**_"Tell her it's one orgasm after the other if she'll join us."_** said Kyuubi with a smirk.

_'Be quiet, I'm trying to think straight.'_ said Naruto.

**_"You're trying to think straight? Does that mean that before this you were thinking gay?"_** asked Kyuubi with a chuckle.

"D-did he say something?" asked Hinata.

Naruto looked up at her in slight surprise.

"He's just being an ass..." muttered Naruto.

**_"That is a horrible insinuation... I am a Fox not a donkey..."_** muttered Kyuubi.

"What is he like?" asked Hinata.

"Hm?" asked Naruto in surprise.

In truth, the question caught him off guard. He had never thought that someone would ask such a question.

"I-if you d-don't mind me asking... I've n-never heard his voice..." said Hinata meekly.

"No its alright, I don't mind..." said Naruto.

Naruto stood there and began to ponder to himself.

"How do I describe it..." began Naruto.

_**"Say that I'm a sexy beast..."**_ said Kyuubi.

"It is like having a voice inside your head. A voice that randomly talks whenever it feels like it. Kyuubi can be murder on my mind. Like random brain murder." said Naruto jokingly.

**_"My brain murders aren't random, they're premeditated."_** said Kyuubi with a smirk.

"Oh..." said Hinata.

_'I expected it to be more than that...'_ thought Hinata.

"But there is more to it then that... Imagine... knowing that you had a demon sealed inside of you. A demon responsible for slaughtering Konoha villagers, and killing your father." began Naruto.

Hinata's eyes widened and her hands went over her mouth.

_'Naruto...'_ thought Hinata sadly.

Naruto looked down to the ground.

"But also, most everyone in the village dislikes you because of the demon inside you. The demon itself is made mostly on an evil chakra, but he has a good side. He can be nice when he wants to be, and he gives me good advice. He helps me through things and although he is too blunt most of the time, he is only being realistic. Overall, I have mixed feelings about him. Sometimes, I don't know whether to hate him for what he has done, or thank him for all he has helped me with. Because of him, I have no parents, a lot of people hate me, and my lifespan is being shortened. But at the same time, he has been there to help me, and keep me on track when I become distracted for whatever reason." said Naruto.

"In the end, he isn't so bad." concluded Naruto.

Kyuubi was suddenly very quiet, Naruto's mind was completely in silence aside from his own thoughts.

Naruto looked up from the ground to see Hinata's expression.

It was either in shock or in horror.

"N-Naruto, you said something about your l-lifespan..." said Hinata with wide eyes.

"Oh..." said Naruto.

Naruto looked back down to the ground sadly.

_'I didn't want anyone but Me, Tsunade, and Sakura to know about that...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto looked up to see Hinata's worried expression.

_'But I just can't bring myself to lie to her so bluntly... I love her.'_ thought Naruto.

"Hinata I must be truthful to you. I have used the Kyuubi's chakra on more than one occasion." said Naruto.

Hinata continued to look at him diligently, not missing a single movement from his body, or a single word from his mouth.

"Baa-chan told me that every time I used the Kyuubi's chakra, I would use up some of my lifespan. And I have used it in situations where it was needed. But there were just too many situations that came up." said Naruto.

Tears now streamed lightly from Hinata's eyes.

"N-Naruto... How long do you h-have to l-live?" asked Hinata in a very scared voice.

Her fists were clenched in suspense, her heart was pounding in worry for what he was about to say.

"It... is hard to tell... A while ago, after I reached four tails, Tsunade guessed that I only had around 20 more years to live." said Naruto quietly.

(Gasp)

Hinata stood there, weak at the knees, and tears formed in her eyes.

"N-n-no..." whispered Hinata.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

She threw herself at him, hugging him tightly, her tears running down his chest.

"N-Naruto..." choked Hinata sadly.

Naruto was surprised for a moment before sobering up to the situation. He held her and stroked her back lightly up and down.

"Ssshhh... Ssshhh... Everything is going to be alright..." whispered Naruto into her ear.

"No it won't! Y-you are g-going to d-die!" sobbed Hinata.

Naruto continued to hold Hinata, stroking her back.

"Yes, and so are you. Someday. Everyone dies eventually." said Naruto quietly.

"Y-yes b-but w-why so early... why... why..." whispered Hinata through choking on her tears.

"A demon isn't meant to be living within a human... Things just happen Hinata, and I have learned to live with such heavy burdens." said Naruto.

"You shouldn't have to! you shouldn't have to..." whispered Hinata while she continued to sob, holding onto Naruto even tighter.

"Sometimes good people die for no good reason. Sometimes good people's time just ends too early... Even the best of people." said Naruto quietly.

He took her by her shoulders and moved her away from him to look into her face.

"Hinata, I might as well tell you now. Now is a time as good as any it seems." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata gasped and more tears poured from her eyes.

"H-how long... do you ac-actually have t-to live?" choked Hinata.

"That's not what I wanted to tell you, its not me I'm worried about. It's you." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata looked up at him with a confused and sorrowful expression.

"W-what do you mean?" choked Hinata.

"You know that Kyuubi was sealed for a reason right?" asked Naruto.

He hated this, he hated it so much. Making her cry. Seeing her cry. His heart was wrenching. It made him want to throw up over and over from the guilt.

"R-reason?" choked Hinata.

Her tears were still very fresh, she just learned that the man she loved would die long before her.

"Yes, Kyuubi is a Bijuu. A Bijuu with the power to regenerate infinite amounts of chakra. He was sealed because he was a danger to the people. That is the reason behind his sealing. The same reason goes for most of the other Bijuus. As far as I know, there are 9 Bijuu. Nibi being one of them." said Naruto.

Hinata continued to cry in utter sadness, but she couldn't understand how the conversation had taken such a drastic turn.

"N-Nibi?" asked Hinata.

"Yes, the two tailed Bijuu... It was sealed within the very first Hyuuga's wife... Many many years ago." said Naruto.

Hinata wiped the tears from her eyes and gave a him a confused yet still sad look. Her tears quickly returned.

"W-what are you t-talking about?" asked Hinata.

"It has been kept a secret, passed down from one Head of the Hyuuga to the next." said Naruto.

Hinata paused for a moment.

"S-so my father knows this?" asked Hinata, wiping her tears again.

"Yes." said Naruto.

"B-but... If it w-was sealed inside one... one of the f-first Hyuuga... doesn't that m-mean that the... the Nibi is l-long d-dead?" said Hinata as she continued to choke on her words.

"No. The Bijuu have traits that make them near immortal... The first born child of a sealed individual would pass on the Bijuu's power, keeping it alive throughout the years." said Naruto.

"Naruto... please... W-what d-does this have to d-do with..." choked Hinata.

"Think Hinata. Every first born. The Main branch of the Hyuugas are directly related to the first Hyuuga." said Naruto.

Hinata eyes widened.

"Tell me Hinata, did your mother die a very early age?" asked Naruto solemnly.

Suddenly her mouth opened, and she stopped breathing for a moment, as though choking on her words.

She realized it. She made the inevitable connection.

_'The first Hyuuga's wife must have had a child if she was related to me directly... And my mom was the only child of my Grandmother...'_ thought Hinata in shock.

"Hinata, you are the first born. It tears my heart apart for me to be the one to tell you this... But you carry the burden... of a Bijuu." said Naruto.

Hinata didn't say anything, couldn't say anything. She was frozen in shock.

"You carry the Nibi inside of you..." said Naruto.

Naruto couldn't bear to look at her teary face anymore. He turned his vision to his feet.

"I'm sorry. But It's true." said Naruto.

Hinata dropped to her knees, and stared at her hands, her tears falling onto them.

"I-I..." muttered Hinata.

Naruto bent down and held Hinata again, stroking her back as he did before.

Naruto leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"Tsunade told me not too long ago... I... I have been waiting for an opportunity to tell you this. But I have also been dreading the moment..." whispered Naruto.

Naruto gently wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Every tear that trickles down your face is like a knife in my heart. Please Hinata. You are twisting that knife. I don't want to see you sad. I know that this is a lot to suddenly accept, but believe me when I say that it is true." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata sat on her knees for several minutes, not saying anything.

It was a lot to to take in all at once.

Naruto's Bijuu situation, his lifespan shortening, and now she found out that she had a Bijuu too?

Hinata gently pushed Naruto away from her, and she slowly stood up.

"I... I need to be alone." whispered Hinata quietly.

Naruto nodded and stood.

"Okay, I understand more than you know. But remember, I am always there for you. If you need to talk, just get me alone, It is no trouble." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata said nothing, and kept staring at her hands, breathing rather quickly and choking on her tears.

"I will see you back at camp." whispered Naruto.

Naruto jumped into the boughs of the trees, and sped out of sight.

After he was completely out of range of Hinata, he stopped using his legs. He was filled with so much grief that he stopped caring what happened to himself. He fell down to the ground harshly, rolling a couple of times before a tree stopped him with a thud.

Naruto held himself upright against the tree, trying to get it together.

But he couldn't.

He held his head tightly, as tears poured out of his eyes.

He clenched his teeth and hands, trying to force back his crying.

"Hin... Hinata... God damn it!" choked Naruto.

* * *

The clearing was set up rather quickly, it had enough tents on its grass to provide space to sleep for their entire group.

"Done!" exclaimed Kakashi happily.

"..."

_'Well, The tents are set up. All four that I packed are finally standing.'_ thought Kakashi.

"...Now what?" asked Kakashi.

There wasn't much going on, practically everyone was sleeping, so there wasn't much left for him to do.

"..."

"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts..." muttered Kakashi.

"Agh! I wish you would be more quiet. Now I won't be able to go back to sleep." said Anko.

"Alright then, you can help me decide who sleeps with whom." said Kakashi.

"I wasn't aware it was our decision to choose who gets to have sex..." said Anko thoughtfully.

"No, I meant we get to decide who will be sharing a tent." said Kakashi.

"Well alright, There's Naruto, Sasuke, Me, You, Yamato, Neji, Ten Ten, Hinata..." said Anko.

Anko looked over at Sasuke to be sure that he was still sleeping.

"And Itachi should be with Naruto in case he needs to get back into the bag quickly. But if Kurenai ever wakes up, she will be apart of this." whispered Anko.

_'What did she say? It was too soft... This is kind of suspicious.'_ thought Sasuke as he continued to fake his sleep.

"Alright, I say Neji and Ten Ten, Sasuke and Yamato, Naruto and Itachi and Hinata, Me, You and Kurenai." said Kakashi.

"Hey wait! Why are me and Kurenai with you Kakashi?" asked Anko suspiciously.

"Hm? Why not?" asked Kakashi.

_'Two girls with one guy...' _thought Anko.

"Well..." began Anko.

"What? Do you think I'll bite?" asked Kakashi.

"Well no but..." began Anko again.

"Do you think I'll rape you? Is that what is bugging you? Is that it? Why would I do that? Wouldn't the rest of the mission be extremely awkward?" asked Kakashi.

"Well... I... But..." stuttered Anko.

"I am a respectable man. I will not make a move on you, or Kurenai. You have my word. So, that aside, do you have any problems with my arrangements?" asked Kakashi.

"I... No." said Anko.

"Good, If you need me, I will be over here, reading." said Kakashi.

_'He got really defensive out of nowhere...'_ thought Anko.

Kakashi walked over to a tree and sat down. He opened up his book, and began to read.

Anko felt bad for not trusting Kakashi, but she was also really mad at him.

_'Look at him, sitting over there, acting so smug! I barely got a word in edge-wise during that conversation!'_ thought Anko in frustration.

Anko heard a movement in the brush on the other side of camp.

She quickly spun around to see Naruto walking back into camp, his hair horribly sprawled out from underneath his hat. It looked as though he had been pulling at it.

She also saw that his eyes were red, and the skin around them looked swollen and puffy.

Anko smirked.

"Oh! Has the little baby been crying? boo hoo hoo!" mocked Anko.

Naruto walked calmly up to her as she laughed at him.

"You are such a twerp! Ha!" laughed Anko

"Anko, you should knock it off." warned Kakashi.

"Hahaahaahaha! My... my gut hurts..." laughed Anko.

_'Anko... You shouldn't be so mean...'_ thought Kakashi.

Just as Naruto passed her, he casually swung an uppercut into her gut, lifting her off of the ground.

She fell back to her hands and knees, coughing to get her breathe back.

"Ow! My gut hurts..." muttered Anko.

"I warned you..." muttered Kakashi.

She whipped around angrily at Naruto.

"What the hell was that for?!" exclaimed Anko.

"What the hell do you think it was for?" asked Naruto calmly.

"I was just kidding around!" exclaimed Anko.

Naruto breathed in deep and then let his breath out again to calm himself down.

"Well next time you're just _kidding around_, be sure not to _kid around_ with the wrong Jinchuriki." said Naruto as he turned and kept walking to his bag.

"Are you threatening me?" asked Anko.

Naruto slowly turned to face her, the light shading his whiskers, detailing his more feral features.

"And if I am?" asked Naruto.

Anko suddenly didn't feel so smug, she remembered the power that radiated off of him when Sasuke insulted him.

Anko looked at the ground and clenched her fists in defeat.

"You know Anko, I just had to cope with a lot of stress a few minutes ago. So this was the worst time to taunt me. You never know when the person you're taunting will snap..." said Naruto.

Naruto picked up his bag, and walked over to Kakashi, and sat down by him.

_'Great now I feel bad again...'_ thought Anko.

Anko sulked away, while Kakashi laid down his book on his lap for a moment.

"You were gone for over an hour." said Kakashi.

Naruto rested his elbows on his knees and put his face in his hands.

"Wanna fight about it?" asked Naruto tiredly.

"..."

Kakashi looked over at him in worry.

"What happened?" asked Kakashi.

"I told her." said Naruto tiredly.

"Told her? What did you tell her?" asked Kakashi.

"My lifespan... Nibi." said Naruto simply.

"Ah. I'm glad you faced the problem and told her." said Kakashi.

"My heart is shredded with guilt. Every moment she isn't here smiling, I see her face again. Her face with tears pouring down it, choking on her words as her face begs me to tell her that none of it was true, that it was just some cruel joke." said Naruto quietly through clenched teeth.

Kakashi looked down at the ground to his left.

"I assume she isn't here because she needed to be alone?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto made a very slight nod with his head.

"..."

"You know, upright telling her a story like that all of the sudden must have seemed so outlandish. Anyone else wouldn't have believed you until they got hard evidence..." said Kakashi.

"..."

Naruto didn't say anything to that, but he did seem to calm down a bit.

"For her to have believed you immediately, would mean that she has the utmost trust in you... That kind of trust is something to be admired." said Kakashi.

Naruto peered between his fingers towards where he last left Hinata.

"She has all the time she needs. Don't worry, she will eventually come back." assured Kakashi.

"Hai... Thank you... Sensei." whispered Naruto sadly.

_**

* * *

**_

It was a barren wasteland. There was dried up semblances of ground that made up the cracked and arid surface. There were jagged rock formations that looked like they were covered in death and decay.

The scenery was not exactly his cup of tea, but he couldn't complain in a situation like his. This was something he had to do.

He lowered his cloak from his head to reveal his blond hair, and he threw it aside to reveal his Akatsuki cloak.

_'I'm lucky I made it this far, if that shopkeep had made any bigger a deal about that incident, the ANBU would have been on me again.'_ thought Deidara.

He made his way across the wasteland, arriving at the cavern in which he knew he had to enter.

''Ugh... It is the same inside as it is outside... Except everything is wet. Un." muttered Deidara.

As he blindly made his way through the slick cavern, he ran his hands up against the wall so that he could guess where everything was.

_'Ugh... Everything tastes like dirt...'_ thought Deidara.

Deidara finally saw some light up ahead in the tunnel, revealing a small slightly lit room.

It was very gloomy and mysterious... like the background of a murder scene.

_'This is not art, not by a long shot.'_ thought Deidara.

"Deidara. You are late." said a voice.

"Yeah well, I got caught up in something. Un." said Deidara.

"You got caught up in something? For three weeks?" asked the voice.

"Hm? Un." asked Deidara.

"You, Kisame, Itachi, and Tobi have been in Konoha and out of contact for three weeks." said the voice.

"It was a compromising situation, I assure you. I am reporting in for all of them. Un." said Deidara.

"Are you now? Well then what is your report?" asked the voice.

"We are close to gathering a bunch of Jinchuriki. Seven of them are gathering in Konoha. We are close, we think that we can get them all in one swoop. Un." said Deidara.

"Interesting... If you are telling the truth, and if this plan falls into play, then our organization will be all powerful." said the voice.

"Now there is something else I need to talk to you about, the Pseudo-Jinchurikis. Un..." began Deidara.

* * *

She left the underground chamber a long while ago, but shocked expression on his face was imprinted into her mind.

_'The look on his face... Utter shock. I think that he really does have amnesia.'_ thought Tsunade.

She walked through the village streets, not really caring where she went.

_'But even if everything is true, and there are no plots behind this... What would we do? If he has no memories of doing anything bad... Should we let him join with us just like Sasuke?'_ thought Tsunade.

She shook her head.

_'The village board and practically every ninja in this village would absolutely hate the very idea of it... But if we can get him to be good... If we can give him a chance to be on the good side this time around... Maybe him and Sasuke could benefit with this village. Maybe things can be the way they used to be. Before the betrayals, before out friends became missing nin, before innocent people became stricken with pain...' _thought Tsunade.

She suddenly heard a familiar voice from down the street.

Just then Jiraiya came gallivanting towards her with a familiar girl in tow.

"Alright. We've checked the sugar distributors throughout the market and found nothing, we've..." said Jiraiya.

Suddenly Jiraiya came to a skidding halt and stopped at Tsunade feet.

"Tsunade. What are you doing here?" asked Jiraiya.

Tsunade blinked at him, then sadly looked at her feet.

Jiraiya cocked an eyebrow at her behavior.

"Hey kid, can you check that directory over there for any other places we could find sugar?" asked Jiraiya.

Ashley nodded, and quickly ran over to the sign, checking it as she was told to do.

"What's wrong Tsunade? Something is bothering you. I can tell." said Jiraiya.

"I'm sorry." said Tsunade.

Jiraiya blinked.

"Apology accepted." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade looked up at him in confusion.

"You don't even know what I'm apologizing for..." said Tsunade.

"Well, you've done a lot of horrible things to me over the years... I figured it was one of those." said Jiraiya.

Well that didn't make her feel any better, but she was determined to get this off of her chest.

"Jiraiya, all of those years ago, when I punched you off of my mother... I'm sorry." said Tsunade.

Jiraiya blinked at her again.

"What do you mean you apologize? I beat up you're mother. You had a right to be angry with me." said Jiraiya.

"Yeah, but back then I didn't know what you said to her before I got there..." said Tsunade.

Jiraiya eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" asked Jiraiya.

"I know what you said, everything. And aside from apologizing, I want to thank you. If it wasn't for you, I never would have gotten my mother to forgive me." said Tsunade with a small smile.

Jiraiya had surprised look on his face.

"How could you know that? I've never told anyone about that..." said Jiraiya in surprise.

"An old friend told me..." said Tsunade.

Jiraiya suddenly got serious.

"So. Just to let you know, I do forgive you, and I really appreciate the things you said just now, but... What are we going to do about... you're old friend?" asked Jiraiya.

Tsunade was surprised how he had quickly forgiven and forgotten, but she knew when things got serious, that she needed to put things aside and be serious as well.

"I'm... not sure. I don't know if we should treat this the same way we did with Sasuke. Even if he is telling truth and he really does have amnesia, he could go back to being evil when he gets his memories back." said Tsunade.

"So could Sasuke... But we can handle him. Orochimaru... I'm not so sure." said Jiraiya.

"That is exactly why I am hesitant as well. Orochimaru has hundreds of bases. For all we know, there could be hundreds of armies at his disposal when he regains his memories." said Tsunade.

"Yeah... That and it would be hard to forgive and forget the fact that he killed our sensei and and many more people that we do and don't know." said Jiraiya.

"(Sigh) We are going to have to tighten security either way." said Tsunade.

"Yeah, no kidding. Hey speaking of security, whatever happened with Shizune and that one teacher that got into you're office?" asked Jiraiya.

"I got a picture of them doing the horizontal tango. So I blackmailed them with it. If they don't pitch in and buy me a bottle of Sak'e once a week, I will show this picture to everyone they know. They should be able to keep it up every week. I personally pay Shizune, and Iruka gets a decent wage as well." said Tsunade with a smirk.

"Heh, I suppose it serves them right... Although, it is nice to know which side Shizune plays for." said Jiraiya with a perverted giggle.

Tsunade got an angry tic on her forehead.

"And just what are you getting at?" asked Tsunade suspiciously.

"Huh? Nothing. I've just always pegged her as a lesbian. But now I know for sure." said Jiraiya.

The look on Jiraiya's face told her that she was just being too paranoid again.

"So Tsunade, since our date kept getting postponed... How about this coming weekend?" asked Jiraiya.

Tsunade smiled and sighed.

"You are relentless." said Tsunade with a smile.

* * *

The wind gently licked the leaves in the full and plush trees that surrounded them. The clearing had short grass that was soft and quite comfortable to lay on.

But the clearing, being only 30 ft wide, didn't let very much sunlight into the clearing, so it provided plenty of shade from the sun.

_'The sun is at 45... So it's around 3:00.'_ thought Kakashi off-handedly.

Kakashi was still leaned up against his tree with Naruto to his right.

_'It's pretty peaceful around here... aside from Anko.' _thought Kakashi.

He watched Anko as she paced around the clearing, muttering to herself angrily.

_'I don't get people. I was just picking on him a bit. I was just kidding around. But I got a punch in the gut, and a lecture... I think I need to spend more time socializing.' _thought Anko as she continued to pace.

_'Anko will be fine, she always is... But the others...' _thought Kakashi.

Kakashi looked straight in front of him to see Neji and Ten Ten still sleeping on the grass, embraced tightly to each other.

_'They will have it rough later on, but throughout the mission, they should be fine.'_ thought Kakashi.

Kakashi inadvertently snuck a look over at Naruto.

His face carried a stone cold expression. As soon as Kakashi looked over at him, Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Something on your mind?" asked Naruto.

_'He may not have anything on his voice, but I can definitely sense some spite behind those words. He must be upset, unable to control his emotions after watching Hinata in pain, pain that he caused. I think that while he sat here all this time, he tortured himself with grief, building up hate inside of him. This isn't good...' _thought Kakashi warily.

"She's been gone for three hours now." said Kakashi offhandedly.

Naruto said nothing, but gripped his hands slightly.

"Leave her be." said Naruto.

"I didn't say that I would do anything to her. I was just insinuating that maybe we should check on her..." said Kakashi.

Naruto hands twitched slightly.

"So you don't have any faith in her to handle herself?" asked Naruto.

His voice was calm, but Kakashi could feel his rage rising.

_'Naruto must not be able to take the pain of knowing that Hinata is in pain. Anything that I bring up about her might set him off.'_ thought Kakashi.

"I didn't say that Naruto. I have faith in Hinata. Don't worry about her, she will be fine." said Kakashi.

Naruto's fists twitched again.

"I don't need your consoling. I don't need your pity." seethed Naruto.

"I didn't say..." began Kakashi.

"You didn't say it, but you were thinking it! Don't try to guess what I'm feeling!" seethed Naruto through gritted teeth.

_'This isn't good. His mind isn't stable when he's so stressed!'_ thought Kakashi in a slight panic.

Kakashi tucked away his book, and stood up.

"Calm down Naruto. You just need to calm down." said Kakashi.

Naruto quickly stood up.

"Calm down? Calm down!? Did I calm down after I learned that I was a Jinchuriki? Did I calm down when Hinata was almost raped? Did I calm down after I left her in the woods, crying in shock of what I told her!? No! Because I still haven't calmed down! Hinata is going through a lot of pain, and it's all my fault! How am I supposed to calm down?!" shouted Naruto.

Naruto eyes were blood red, and his pupils were slitted. Red chakra began to pour out of his fists which were clenched in pain.

The power behind Naruto's chakra woke up Yamato, Ten Ten, and Neji.

Certainly their attention was gained.

"Naruto! Listen to me! You need to calm down!" exclaimed Kakashi.

"And what good will that do!? Will calming down give Hinata a longer life!?" exclaimed Naruto in rage.

Something in Kakashi snapped for a slight moment.

"No, but you can make her life better!" shouted Kakashi.

Naruto blinked at his outburst.

"I would rather live a short and happy life, instead of a long and miserable one!" exclaimed Kakashi.

Naruto stopped clenching his body, and the red chakra stopped flowing.

"Hinata must be very alone and scared right now. She needs somebody. She needs you. How can she depend on you if you can't even control your own emotions?" asked Kakashi harshly.

The red chakra receded, and his eyes returned to their blue color.

He fell to his knees, and gripped his head,

"God damn it! You're right... you're right." seethed Naruto.

Kakashi just stood there in surprise.

"You're right. I need to find her. Now." said Naruto.

He got to his feet, and quickly made his way out of the clearing.

"What was that all about?" asked Neji.

"Nothing for you to worry about... Unless of course Hinata says something to worsen how he is feeling... Then we are all doomed." said Kakashi.

* * *

He ripped through the woods as fast as he could, the branches and twigs snapping when he flew through the boughs.

_'I have to find her! I need to find her!'_ thought Naruto in a panic.

He had never felt so much panic all at once in his life.

_'She is in pain! She is in pain right now, and I'm not there for her!'_ thought Naruto.

A large branch was in his way up ahead, so he charged his chakra, and forcefully ripped through it.

"I need to find her! I need to see her!!!" exclaimed Naruto.

He stopped on a branch desperately looked every which-way, trying to find her.

"There are too many God damn trees in the way!!! Gah!" exclaimed Naruto.

Surely Naruto could use the Kyuubi's eyes, but Kyuubi's eyes didn't have the range, nor the power to scan the area. They were only really good for seeing in the dark, otherwise, finding someone with them would be purely by good luck.

"See! I need to SEE!!!" exclaimed Naruto.

Suddenly he stopped moving, feeling a tremendous amount of pain that seemed to come out of nowhere.

He was used to pain, so he fell to one knee, gritted his teeth and bared through it.

The upper half of his face was throbbing terribly in an unbearable pain.

Suddenly, Naruto's eyes widened.

His vision faltered to black for a moment, as though he were temporarily blind.

Suddenly, for no explainable reason, he saw a form of a person.

The person was on the ground, sitting on their knees while their head was hung down.

Naruto knew that form anywhere.

He ripped through the trees towards the form, desperate to get to it as quickly as possible.

_'Please be okay, please don't hate me for what I've told you...'_ thought Naruto.

He finally reached her.

Hinata had her back to a tree, and she seemed to be thinking hard about something.

_'I gave her plenty to think about... God damn it! Why does she have to suffer!?'_ thought Naruto angrily.

Naruto landed in the clearing, about 10 yards away from Hinata, but she didn't react.

Naruto was desperate to find her. But now that he had, he realized that he honestly didn't know what to say to her.

_'Hinata... I know what's going though your mind right now... Or then again, maybe I don't.'_ thought Naruto.

"Naruto..." whispered Hinata.

Naruto was surprised that she spoke, but he tried to speak normally, despite the array of guilt he was feeling.

"I got worried about you..." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata paused for a moment before responding.

"Y-You... you don't need to w-worry about me..." whispered Hinata.

Her voice was slightly cracked. He knew that she must have been crying very hard.

"No I don't. You are plenty strong enough to handle yourself... I believe in you. But, I know what it felt like... When I found out about my Bijuu." said Naruto softly.

Hinata said nothing, and still didn't look up from the ground.

"I don't want you to have to go through this pain... But you had to know sooner or later. I absolutely dreaded being the one to have to tell you, but I'm glad that it was me other than anyone else." said Naruto.

Hinata, for the first time since Naruto arrived, looked up at him.

Her eyes were red and puffy, and she had definitely had her share of crying.

_'Oh God...'_ thought Naruto as he grabbed his chest, feeling his heart throb in pain from the guilt.

He turned away from Hinata, and wiped away the tears that began to form in his eyes.

_'God damn it... What have I done to her... I don't deserve someone like her...'_ thought Naruto in sorrow.

"I... am glad too. I h-have a lot to ask you." said Hinata quietly.

Naruto wiped his eyes, took a deep breathe, and turned to face Hinata.

"Okay. I am here for you." said Naruto.

Naruto walked over to her, and sat down next to her.

She had a very depressed look on her face, but he couldn't blame her, he remembered how hard it was for him when he first learned of his demon.

"What did you do?" asked Hinata.

It took a moment for Naruto to realize what she was asking.

"At first, I just cried a lot. I was depressed, scared, and I felt alone. But I realized that I had some people that did care about me. My teachers, and all of my friends. They were there for me when I needed it. I got over my fears and I confronted them. I did fall to my depression a couple of times, but the people around me always pulled me out of it. I learned to live with this curse, and I just got on with my life." said Naruto.

Hinata seemed to be taking every word he said to heart, and she was very intent on paying attention to him.

"But... When I was in one of my deeper depressions, I went on a mission with you, to get the Bikouchu." said Naruto.

Hinata looked surprised, but kept listening.

"Every time I failed, or that I didn't do something right, Kiba and Shino were pretty harsh to me, but you..." began Naruto.

Naruto stopped for a moment to gather to right words, while Hinata was very intent on listening to everything he had to say.

"You always encouraged me. You were there to help me and make me feel better when I was down. You reminded me about all of the things in life that made it worth living. I remembered the embrace of my will of Fire, and how I should always use it to do what I believe is right. I want to thank you Hinata, even if you think you did nothing." said Naruto.

Hinata was shocked, but still didn't say anything.

"Thank you Hinata. Thank you for being who you are, and helping me when I needed it." said Naruto.

Hinata honestly didn't know what to say, she had never received this kind of praise before.

Seeing that Hinata had said nothing yet, he continued.

"I began to think about all of the people who knew the secret before I did, and didn't tell me... I resented them at first. But I also realized that it wasn't their fault, it was the right thing to do, so I don't really care..." said Naruto.

"I know that there are plenty of my friends to support me, and I know I that with my precious people there, I never have a reason to stop believing." said Naruto.

Hinata was a bit awestruck from everything he said. It was all so emotional, and it was all things she could now relate to.

She felt all of these good emotions rising up in her, greatly overshadowing the bad ones. And all this just because Naruto had said a few words.

Tears came to Hinata's eyes as her mind became overpowered by her emotions.

She jumped over and hugged him.

Naruto was surprised at first, but held her, rubbing her back again.

"Th-thank you." whispered Hinata.

"You're very welcome." said Naruto quietly.

_'He... does so much... But he never asks for anything in return... If I could only tell him... How I feel.' _thought Hinata

They both sat there in each others arms, listening to the other breathe.

"..."

"You know, for this being such a sad day, we sure are doing a lot of hugging." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata's face instantly became red, and jumped a bit away from him, embarrassed about how right he was.

She fidgeted her hands again, blushing and glancing at him.

_'I'm glad to see her happy..._' thought Naruto

"Well... Should we get back to camp?" asked Naruto in hope.

He held out his hand, hoping she would take it.

Hinata turned to him and nodded with a small smile.

_'Naruto is right... We have nothing left to do but live. So there is no reason for us to be sad or do anything else but being happy and living.'_ thought Hinata.

Naruto took her by her hand, and began to lead her back into camp.

She blushed deeply and stared at her feet, keeping her consciousness from fading.

_'This day has been very trying... But if the rest of the day goes along like it is right now... I wouldn't mind if every day was like this...'_ thought Hinata with a small smile.

* * *

The sun was bearing down harshly among the sand. Although he was getting near the Land of Fire once again, the conditions were still pretty harsh.

He had almost made his way to the edge of the wasteland, when he saw something that made him stop.

There was a figure on the horizon.

He couldn't make it out from where he stood, but he knew a way how to.

He reached his hand into his flowing black cloak, and pulled out his scouter.

He moved his long yellow hair out of the way, and put it over his left eye.

_'Whoever it is, they are over 3 kilometers away, but I should still be able to see them with this.' _thought Deidara.

He used the scouter's lens to zoom in on the figure.

As soon as he saw who it was, his eyes widened and he immediately ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could.

He reached his hand into his pouch and began to mold some clay into a bird.

He made the correct handsigns, but before he could activate his jutsu, he felt a very powerful force slam into his back.

He tumbled and tumbled and tumbled, slamming through several dunes before he smashed into something very solid, stopping him cold and breaking a few of his ribs.

The wind was knocked out of him, and he was in a lot of pain.

He looked up to see that the same man he saw before was holding him up by his shirt collar, and it was the man's body that had stopped him so harshly.

Deidara, while coughing up a bit of blood, looked up into his face. He couldn't see much because a large amount of sunlight was reflected off of the lenses of the man's sunglasses, blinding him a bit.

The man holding him up reached up and pulled off his sunglasses, revealing two piercing green eyes staring down at him.

"Am I to understand that you are Deidara, a member of the illegal organization known as the Akatsuki?" asked the man.

Deidara still couldn't say much, his windpipe was almost completely crushed.

"You have one day. I will let you live for one more day." said the man.

He hefted Deidara up, and began to charge up chakra in his arm.

The chakra was strange. It was flowing and bright yellow, but there seemed to be jagged pieces of black chakra that zipped around like lightning. Overall, it was the weirdest chakra he had ever seen.

When the chakra flowed up his arm into his hand, it went through Deidara causing his body to freeze in horrible pain.

Suddenly, the man took Deidara and aimed his body up high.

With a loud crack, and an explosion of sand, Deidara was gone, flying through the air way off in the distance.

* * *

The sun was lowering over Konoha, telling restaurants, eateries, and merchants that it was near about time for dinner.

_'Better put up the dinner specials sign.'_ thought Bryant.

He reached underneath the counter, and put the sign out on the right support beam facing the street.

"Time for the dinner rush already?" asked a voice.

Bryant turned to see Tyler standing upside down, his feet clinging to the roof with his chakra.

"Yeah. You should get the grill fired up." said Bryant.

"I already did, but you know that I can't stay to help." said Tyler.

"Yeah I know, you have to go to work at six. Just like every Friday." said Bryant.

"Yeah well... " began Tyler.

Tyler stopped, noticing something familiar shining on Bryant's belt.

"Hey! Did you get your 45 back?" asked Tyler excitedly.

Bryant smiled and pulled out his peacemaker, twirling it in his hand.

"Yeah, I just got it back from the Merchant. He bored it out to 55 cal." said Bryant.

"Awesome! Can I see?" asked Tyler anxiously.

"No." said Bryant flatly.

"What!? Why?" asked Tyler in disbelief.

"Tyler, do you remember what happened the last time I let you see my revolver?" asked Bryant.

"Um..." muttered Tyler.

"In fact, do you remember what happens EVERY time I let you see my Colt Army?" asked Bryant.

"Well..." muttered Tyler sheepishly.

"You end up shooting someone! Every God damn time! That one time, I can't even wrap my head around how the hell you shot me!" exclaimed Bryant.

"You said it wasn't loaded." said Tyler.

"No, YOU said it wasn't loaded! Then you pointed it at me and said: See? Then you f'ing shot me!!" exclaimed Bryant.

By the time Bryant finished talking, he realized that Tyler was gone.

He heard a beep, and checked his watch.

_'6:00... He's probably right on time.'_ thought Bryant.

* * *

Tsunade sat in her office at her desk, trying to make the time pass quicker.

_'My checkout time is almost up, and nothing interesting has happened in the last three hours.' _thought Tsunade.

She stared at the door on the other side of the room, bored out of her mind.

Suddenly the door looked as though the middle of it twisted a bit.

She frowned and stared at that spot. It happened again, but now she realized it wasn't the door that was twisting, it was the air in front of her desk.

Suddenly the air became violent, spontaneous, and unpredictable.

It bent in every manner and sped up until it looked as though it was vibrating.

_'What the hell?!' _thought Tsunade in surprise.

Suddenly the power reached its peak and there was a loud crack and a small explosion that created a small but destructive mushroom cloud.

Very suddenly, it was all gone, and Tyler stood at the foot of her desk.

"Hokage-sama?" asked Tyler.

She was nowhere to be seen, her desk was empty.

_'Where did she go?'_ thought Tyler.

Tsunade was underneath her desk, hyperventilating.

Tsunade flew up from the floor, and held herself up on her desk.

"Holy Crap! Whatever the hell that was, don't you ever do it again around me!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Fine. But no more Klondike bars for you." said Tyler.

"What?" asked Tsunade.

"Nothing." replied Tyler quickly.

"...Oookay... Well, Tyler I have some serious questions to ask you." said Tsunade.

"Why is it always 20 questions with you? Why can't you ever ask how I am, or how my day was?" asked Tyler in annoyance.

"Um, okay. How was your day?" asked Tsunade.

"None of your fucking business! Where the hell did that come from?" asked Tyler in surprise.

"But you said..." began Tsunade.

"What, now you're suddenly interested in me?! Why weren't you interested before?!" exclaimed Tyler.

"What?" asked Tsunade in confusion.

"It was your baby too Janice!" exclaimed Tyler.

"What?! Who's Janice?" asked Tsunade.

"You've never been the same! After Grant's fall and that sex change, you've always been like a son to me!" exclaimed Tyler.

"What the HELL are you talking about!?" exclaimed Tsunade.

Tyler paused for a moment.

"I have no idea." said Tyler with a smile.

_'Holy God... I can scarcely imagine that anyone lives with him... I don't know how they would stand it...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Alright, never mind all of that. First off, who is Ashley, and why is she looking for you?" asked Tsunade.

Tyler's eyes widened, and he shifted his footing to make a run for it.

"Uh-uh. Not this time. Shizune, let her in." said Tsunade.

The door opened, and Ashley walked in.

As soon as they caught sight of each other, the air in the room seemed to thicken from the tension between the two.

The two just stared at each other. Ashley's eyes were like an emotional power, full of determination; and Tyler's eyes were like a deer in the headlights of a car.

Suddenly Tyler just disappeared.

But to Tsunade's surprise, so did Ashley.

Shizune paused for a moment before she walked up to her desk.

"Where did they go?" asked Shizune.

(Crack!)

Suddenly there was a loud crack that sent a force of wind crashing into Tsunade desk, knocking it over on top of her.

"What the hell?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

She got out from underneath the desk to see that nothing else was different. The only people in the room were Shizune and herself.

_'What was that!?' _thought Tsunade.

Before she could say anything, and large section of the right wall exploded into splinters, and Ashley appeared, holding Tyler by the neck.

"How could you leave me like that!?" exclaimed Ashley.

Her voice was cracked a bit, and tears were running down her cheeks.

Suddenly they disappeared again.

(Crack!) (Crack!) (Crack!)

There were three loud cracks, each one followed by a powerful gust of wind from the pure force of each blow being made.

Then Ashley appeared with Tyler's head smashed into the wall, and the rest of his body was trying to keep Ashley away from him.

"Do you know how worried I was?!" exclaimed Ashley.

Suddenly they disappeared again.

"Oh God where are they now?!" exclaimed Tsunade as they both ducked behind her desk.

There were three quick and loud cracks, followed by an explosion that shook the room.

(C-c-crack!)

Ashley was holding Tyler down to the floor, but Tyler had a lot of chakra pouring out of him.

Ashley was barely keeping him on the floor.

"How could you do that to me?!" exclaimed Ashley, her tears falling on his chest.

"I came back to the village every night!" exclaimed Tyler.

He was trying to teleport away, but she was holding him down.

Tyler's form would fade for a moment, but Ashley would up her power on him, and his form would go back to normal, resulting in a spike of power that shook the building each time he tried to escape.

Despite the fact that Ashley had rammed Tyler around so destructively, He barely seemed fazed by it. The only thing he seemed to be worried about was keeping himself away from her.

(Boom!)

Tyler's form faded again, but Ashley threw her chakra down on him again, resulting in another chakra spike that shook the room, preventing him from escaping.

_'I can't keep this up... I'm already low on chakra, but Tyler could do this all day! I have to get him to talk to me before I run out of power!'_ thought Ashley hurriedly.

"But you avoided me! How could you do that!?" exclaimed Ashley.

Tyler stopped moving for a moment, looking directly into her eyes.

"I... I was afraid! I was afraid alright!" exclaimed Tyler.

"Afraid of what?! What could you have possibly been afraid of?!" exclaimed Ashley, her tears still falling on his chest.

"Of losing you!! I was afraid of losing you!!" shouted Tyler.

Ashley's eyes widened in surprise.

"I left on that mission, and after I did, I realized that I forgot to tell you that I would be gone! I was so stricken with guilt that I was afraid that you would hate me when I finally returned! So I avoided you out of fear! I don't want to lose you!" exclaimed Tyler emotionally.

"Please... Can you ever forgive me?" asked Tyler.

Everyone was in shock. Ashley was on top of Tyler with her mouth open in shock, Shizune was hiding under Tsunade's flipped desk, and Tsunade had no idea what the hell was going on.

Suddenly, Ashley pounced down onto Tyler and began making out with him.

They both got into it, and they began rolling around on the floor.

They stopped for a moment, Tyler on top, and Ashley on bottom.

"Ashley..." whispered Tyler.

Ashley slapped him in the face.

"You deserved that, but don't you ever leave me again." teased Ashley.

She pulled him into a deep kiss, and they continued rolling around on the floor.

Suddenly, they both disappeared in another loud crack, leaving Tsunade's room a complete wreck.

Tsunade got up from the floor, and looked at the aftermath.

"Well what the fuck..." muttered Tsunade.

"I didn't expect any of that... Not one bit of it..." muttered Shizune.

"Well, we can look at it this way, at least after that, nothing else will be able to surprise us today." said Tsunade optimistically.

Suddenly Deidara's body came crashing through the ceiling, smashing her desk into hundreds of pieces.

"..."

"You were right, I'm not surprised at all..." muttered Shizune.

* * *

Everyone was awake now.

Naruto's chakra signature from his tantrum with Kakashi had woken them up quite promptly, but that was over half and hour ago.

Neji didn't know about anyone else, but he was very worried about the last thing Kakashi had said.

_'Nothing for you to worry about... Unless of course Hinata says something to worsen how he is feeling... Then we are all doomed.'_ thought Neji.

That statement had him very perturbed.

_'Then we are all doomed... Kakashi may be right, if Naruto becomes upset, he could unleash his power on all of us...'_ thought Neji.

Ten Ten was laying in Neji's lap, she turned around slightly to look at his face, and she saw that he was worried.

She turned back to look where he was looking.

He was looking at the spot where Naruto left through a half an hour ago.

"You shouldn't worry so much hun." said Ten Ten.

Neji gave her a small smile, he would have replied, but he saw Anko come storming up to them.

"Why shouldn't he be worried? If Naruto's interaction with Hinata goes sour, then we will all surely panic and run around in circles!" exclaimed Anko.

"No, that would just be you." said Kakashi.

Anko stuck her tongue out at him in a childish manner.

"I'm not worried because I know that Hinata would never do anything to hurt or upset Naruto. I've known her since we were little, and I know that she is just too kind to say anything hurtful." said Ten Ten.

"That may be all well and fine, but what if Naruto takes something she says the wrong way? He has been known to misinterpret things from time to time." said Yamato.

"Yeah. If Naruto had known the difference between anecdote and antidote, I wouldn't have had to stay in the hospital for that whole week." said Kakashi.

There was a silence among the group.

"Okay now I'm a bit more worried." admitted Ten Ten.

"They were actually pretty funny... But then I had that seizure and passed out..." said Kakashi

"..."

"Maybe we should go find them." said Yamato.

"I agree, we should split up and search the forest, based on three sectors at a time." began Kakashi.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

Please READ and REVIEW.

* * *


	36. Emotional Stability

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 36:**_

_**Emotional Stability:**_

_**

* * *

**_

It was getting kind of late, the sun was an hour away from setting, and it was already starting to get even darker.

"Alright Everyone, we need to split up and search for Naruto and Hinata. No matter what the cost, do not rile him up in any way. His emotional stability may very well be a matter of National security." said Kakashi.

Everyone nodded to each other. They knew what was being risked.

"I just can't believe that Naruto would act this way. He's never been like this before." said Ten Ten.

"Apparently you've never fought him when he's pissed off." said Neji, Kakashi, and Sasuke at the same time.

They all blinked then looked at each other in surprise.

Ten Ten blinked at them.

"Well, each time he's like that, he does have a good reason to be enraged." said Kakashi.

Sasuke nodded in agreement.

"Actually when he fought me, he didn't have a reason, he just kicked my ass." said Neji.

"Yes Neji, you and you're enormous ass." muttered Anko.

Neji flushed angrily before Ten Ten interrupted.

"But Neji, wasn't the reason behind Naruto's rage because of the way you belittled Hinata?" asked Ten Ten.

"Oh yeah! Hinata!" exclaimed Kakashi in realization.

Everyone looked over at him in surprise.

"Everyone, I just remembered that I forgot to remind myself to tell you that I forgot to remind myself to tell you not to do anything to Hinata." said Kakashi.

Everyone paused for a moment.

"What?" asked Anko finally.

"Don't go near Hinata, don't talk to her, look at her, smell her, whisper about her, breathe near her, and especially don't lick her." warned Kakashi.

"..."

"That will get Naruto very angry if you lick her." said Kakashi.

"Not that I'm looking for more things to add to your list, but wouldn't Naruto be the most angered if we had sex with her?" asked Anko.

"..."

"Oh yes! THANK you Anko for that wonderful insight!" exclaimed Neji sarcastically.

Neji leaned over to Ten Ten.

"Ten Ten sweetie, do me a favor and remind me not to cheat on you and commit incest at the same time. Because apparently Anko thinks that I'll forget that it's a bad thing to do." said Neji.

"I was just saying..." pouted Anko.

"Yes well... " said Kakashi awkwardly.

"Let's get going! There are lives at stake!" exclaimed Yamato suddenly.

"Alright, I'll go with Sasuke." said Kakashi.

"East?" asked Yamato.

"Yes, and Sasuke..." began Kakashi.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow at Kakashi.

"Try to stick with me, don't go off on your own." said Kakashi.

"Tch." muttered Sasuke

_'Is Kakashi really that paranoid that I'll leave them again?'_ thought Sasuke.

He looked up to see that Kakashi wasn't even paying attention to him.

_'Remembering what Ibiki told me about what I did, I feel like a tremendous ass...'_ thought Sasuke.

"Alright, I'll take west with Ten Ten." said Neji.

Neji and Ten Ten held hands as they both turned west to leave, both of them were facing away from Sasuke.

_'But the only one here with a tremendous ass is Neji...'_ thought Sasuke with a small smirk.

Kakashi and Sasuke took off to the east.

Neji and Ten Ten took off to the west.

"And I guess that leaves Anko and I to take North." said Yamato.

Anko nodded and they both headed North.

_'With two of us heading North, East, and West, we should be able to find them in no time.'_ thought Kakashi.

_**

* * *

**_

Meanwhile, Tsunade and Shizune had just finished cleaning up the mess that Tyler and Ashley had made.

_'The information that those two have could very well affect our village's very security.'_ thought Tsunade.

They had Deidara on the floor, and his body was almost healed.

Tsunade was checking him over now, making sure that she didn't miss anything.

_'And this is another troubling matter. Whoever defeated Deidara in such a way would have to be very strong. And the fight happened in Konoha! There were no reports of a fight in the village, but there is no other way to explain Deidara appearing in my office so brutally beaten... Well, his ribs will still be a bit tender, but he'll be fine.'_ thought Tsunade.

Tsunade completely finished checking him over, and then she looked up at his face.

He was staring right at her.

"Gah!" exclaimed Tsunade.

She fell back on her butt, then flew to her feet, pointing at him.

"You're awake!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Yes, I am. Un." said Deidara.

"For how long?" asked Shizune.

"For ten minutes. Un." said Deidara.

"Why didn't you say anything?" exclaimed Tsunade.

He shrugged.

"You two are medical experts, I was just waiting until you were done doing whatever it was that you were doing. Un." said Deidara.

"Oh... Well I guess that makes since." said Shizune.

"Yeah, but you know what doesn't make sense? You wearing green underwear. Un." said Deidara.

Shizune turned red and Tsunade looked appalled.

"Y-you... how..." stuttered Shizune.

"When you were leaning over me, you practically had your crotch in my face. Un." said Deidara.

Tsunade and Shizune were completely thrown off by this, but Deidara seemed as casual as ever.

"You should really wear black undies. Un. It matches your eyes and your hair with your skin tone. Un." said Deidara.

He got up from the ground, nursing his ribs which were still really sore.

Tsunade shook herself from her disbelief and got serious.

"What happened to you, and what were you doing that caused it?" asked Tsunade suspiciously.

"I was... running some errands. And this man attacked me. Un. He was so fast... I couldn't even see him when he moved... Un..." began Deidara.

_'What? There is only one man who can move so fast that you cannot see or read him... But Minato is dead...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Do you know who it was?" asked Tsunade.

"I don't know who it was. But I did see him once before. Un." said Deidara.

Tsunade paused for a moment.

"Describe him to me." said Tsunade.

"He has green eyes that seem to pierce into your soul, Un. He wears a white robe with blue flames along the bottom, Un. He has a large amount of hair that seems to be balled up in a way... Un. He had a strange chakra... and that is really the only way to describe it unless you see it yourself. Un..." said Deidara.

Tsunade paused for a moment.

"Is that all?" asked Shizune.

"Well... He had this strange yet familiar aura... Un." said Deidara.

"Familiar? Can you remember where you last felt it?" asked Tsunade.

"Hm... Un..." muttered Deidara as he tried to remember.

(Flashback)

The room was dark and moist.

Sasori was to his left.

Talking to him about how art was eternal or some crap like that.

He sat on Gaara, feeling that he wasn't the most comfortable couch.

He remembered pissing off Naruto, and feeling that strange chakra that came off of him.

(End Flashback)

_'That aura is similar to mine and Kisame's at times as well... That must be it!'_ thought Deidara.

"Oh! Bijuu Aura! Un!" exclaimed Deidara.

Tsunade and Shizune froze.

"What?" asked Tsunade.

"That must be it! He's another Jinchuriki! Un!" exclaimed Deidara excitedly.

Deidara realized that Tsunade and Shizune had horrified expressions.

"Oh wait, that's a bad thing... Un..." said Deidara.

"For God's sake! How many Jinchuriki are going to show up in this village?!" exclaimed Shizune.

"Actually, I wasn't in the village, I was in the Suna Outskirts Un." said Deidara.

_'Suna? I just sent two of my students to Suna...'_ thought Tsunade.

"What were you doing in Suna?" asked Tsunade suspiciously.

"I was um... Trying to get more clay, Un." said Deidara.

"Clay?" asked Shizune.

"Un." said Deidara.

He pulled a pinch of clay out of his pouch and showed it to them.

"C4 material. Un." said Deidara.

Deidara took the small amount of clay and casually tossed it out the window.

(BOOM!)

"Gah!" exclaimed a voice from out the window.

"What the Hell!? Why would this even happen?! WHY!? What are the fucking odds?!?! God! My fruit is everywhere!! Half of it is on fire!!!" exclaimed the fruit cart man.

"..."

"Oh. Well... why did he attack you?" asked Tsunade.

Deidara froze for a slight moment.

"He attacked me because I was wearing an Akatsuki uniform. Un." said Deidara.

"Hm... Then I guess he could be on our side then." said Tsunade.

Suddenly Tsunade turned to Shizune.

"Shizune. I want the whereabouts of all known Jinchuriki within the past hour." said Tsunade.

Shizune nodded in understanding.

"Hai." said Shizune.

Shizune left and Deidara got up from the floor.

"Now, If you don't mind, I still have clay and a future bearer of my children to find. Un." said Deidara.

Tsunade looked at him incredulously, waiting for him to tell her that he was just kidding.

Deidara smiled and stretched.

"Unnnnn...." yawned Deidara.

_'Like he actually yawns like that...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Well, I had better get to it. If I don't, I will either be caught short of material in battle, or I will never get around to having children... Whichever problem comes first. Un." said Deidara.

Deidara walked out of the room, but he was suddenly pushed back in by Shizune, who was dragging Kisame in by his hand.

"Un? Can I help you? Un." asked Deidara.

"Yeah, what's the big idea?" asked Kisame in agitation.

Tsunade looked to Shizune, who nodded back to her.

"It's nothing, I just needed to check something. You two can go." said Tsunade.

"F'ing weird people up in here..." muttered Kisame as he walked out the door.

"You're one to talk. Un." commented Deidara as they walked out.

"Tsunade, I have gone over the records, and those two are the only Jinchuriki in Konoha that we know of." said Shizune.

"(Sigh) I figured as much when you walked in with only those two." said Tsunade.

_'This isn't adding up at all.' _thought Tsunade.

"Tsunade? What should we do now?" asked Shizune.

"I'll tell you what you should do." said Jiraiya.

They didn't even need to look to see where the voice was coming from, they knew that Jiraiya was in the window, just like always.

"(Sigh) Jiraiya, we aren't exactly in the mood for you're perversions right now." said Tsunade tiredly.

"When are you EVER in the mood for it? If you tell me when you are in the mood, I'll write it down and make appointments." said Jiraiya.

_'I bet he would...'_ thought Shizune.

"What do you want Jiraiya?" asked Tsunade.

"Well, as you know, I have been looking at a carbon copy of Minato's seal, ever since he used it to seal Kyuubi." said Jiraiya.

"Yeah, so?" asked Tsunade.

"So, I finally figured out a few things." said Jiraiya.

"Well, enlighten us." said Tsunade.

"What? No, good job Jiraiya? Or, thanks for all of the hard work Jiraiya?" complained Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya, we don't have time for that right this second, I'll thank you later, just tell me what you discovered." said Tsunade.

"Fine. Well first off, Naruto's seal is taking Kyuubi's chakra reserves, and it is slowly mixing Kyuubi's chakra into Naruto's reserves." said Jiraiya.

"That much we all knew." said Shizune.

"Ah yes. But did you know that the fluctuation of that power is controlled by the power of the sealed one's mind?" asked Jiraiya.

Shizune didn't know how to react, and Tsunade was waiting for him to say more.

"So?" asked Tsunade.

_'I'd like to know what he's getting at with this.'_ thought Tsunade.

"So? Well, say that Naruto felt threatened or angered. Those emotions would react to the seal to increase his ability to access the demon's chakra. And every time he uses the demon's chakra, the easier it is for him to get more of it." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade blinked.

"That's preposterous. If that were true, then why isn't Naruto an all-powerful ninja? With all of the Kyuubi's power under the control of one ninja, that one ninja could defeat anyone and anything." said Tsunade.

"Yes. But Minato put in a fail-safe. When Naruto reaches up to 8/9ths of the Kyuubi's full power, there is some kind of defense mechanism to prevent Naruto from going any further and breaking the seal." said Jiraiya.

"So you haven't figured out what the mechanism is yet?" asked Tsunade.

"No, my information is too vague to get anything more specific than that. But listen, do you know why Naruto has turned into a half-fox?" asked Jiraiya.

"Well... No, but I do know that it had something to do with the fight with Orochimaru." said Tsunade.

"Right. I researched all of Orochimaru's research from before he deserted Konoha to see if there were any similarities among the data that would relate to Naruto's transformation. There was one. It involved taking one spirit, and infusing it with another, creating a whole new being. I think that Orochimaru planned to infuse himself with Kyuubi, to make himself all-powerful. But something went wrong when he tried to do the sealing. Naruto told me that Kyuubi gave him his powers instead of letting Orochimaru having them." said Jiraiya.

"Yes, Naruto told me that as well, but what are you getting at?" asked Tsunade.

"Well, Orochimaru had Kyuubi in his hand during the sealing. Then Kyuubi reverted himself to Naruto to give him his powers." said Jiraiya

"(Sigh) We know all of that." said Shizune.

"Well, if you both are so all-knowing, then tell me why Kyuubi's chakra went into Naruto instead of simply going back into the Kyuubi's form like it was before?" asked Jiraiya.

They both looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

"There were three spirits together. Orochimaru's, Kyuubi's, and Naruto's. Why did Kyuubi give his chakra to Naruto when he had the option to just give it back to himself?" asked Jiraiya.

"I... never thought about that before..." said Tsunade.

"Neither did I, until I looked over the layout of each seal involved in that little fight. I realized something important. I realized where they were standing." said Jiraiya.

"Where... they were standing? What does that have to do with it?" asked Shizune.

"It has everything to do with it. Naruto told me that Orochimaru used a large seal on the floor. That seal must have been the one he planned to use to fuse his spirit with Kyuubi's. So it must have meant that Kyuubi's spirit AND power was in limbo. That was why he couldn't give his power back to his spirit, because his spirit was still with his power when Orochimaru took him out. That means that Orochimaru purposely took out Kyuubi's spirit with his chakra. Orochimaru must have assumed that his mind would gain control over the Kyuubi's. So think about this. If Kyuubi transferred himself to Naruto while in that state..." began Jiraiya.

Tsunade's eyes widened.

"Th-then that would mean..." said Tsunade in shock.

"Yes. It's not just the Kyuubi's powers that are fusing with Naruto, it's also his physical form. And seeing that the flow of Kyuubi's chakra into Naruto's chakra is controlled by his emotions... He is basically a walking talking time bomb, ready to fully transform into Kyuubi and destroy everything at a slightly rude comment." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade stood next to her desk in a shocked state before falling down into her chair.

"Oh God... I feared something kind of like this, but this is far worse than I could have possibly imagined." muttered Tsunade.

"If Naruto gets angry or emotionally overwhelmed for any reason... It could be the end of everything." said Jiraiya.

"But wait, you said that when Orochimaru was going to fuse with Kyuubi, he assumed that his mind would take power. So when he reverted back to Naruto during the sealing, couldn't Kyuubi have taken over Naruto's mind?" asked Shizune.

"Well no. Yondaime's seal is variably complicated. It has certain causes and effects that I haven't even figured out yet. I don't know how it works, but I do know that Kyuubi's mind can only lay dormant in Naruto subconscious. As long as the seal is intact, Kyuubi cannot take over Naruto's mind." said Jiraiya.

"Oh thank God! I was worried for a moment there..." said Shizune.

"Sure Naruto's mind can't be taken over, but that doesn't matter if Naruto's body fully transforms into Kyuubi. Once Naruto's body becomes 100% Bijuu, the seal will no longer recognize it as Naruto's body, and the seal will become void, allowing Kyuubi full access to Naruto's body and mind." said Jiraiya.

"..."

"Son of a bitch..." muttered Tsunade.

* * *

Kakashi was hurrying through the forest with Sasuke close on his tail.

"Where do you think they could have gone, and why?" asked Sasuke.

"You're guess is as good as mine Sasuke." said Kakashi.

They continued to rush through the forest, still seeing nothing.

"Hey... Sensei?" asked Sasuke.

_'Sensei?' _thought Kakashi.

"Yes, Sasuke?" asked Kakashi.

"What... um... What was it like when I left?" asked Sasuke.

Kakashi looked back at Sasuke for a moment before looking forward again.

"That is quite a question Sasuke. I would have to say that the best way to describe it would be two words, like, um, heart-wrenching." said Kakashi.

Sasuke had already felt bad enough about all of this. Now he realized that he shouldn't have asked at all.

Kakashi was talking casually, as though he was answering a normal question like: "How are you today?"

But what Kakashi's said seemed very harsh.

"It's hard to tell who took it the hardest. Was it the Sensei who finally saw himself in a student, only to have that student betray him and his friends? Was it the orphan who had no family, and finally thought he had a brother, only to have that brother try to kill him before committing treason? Or was it the girl who gave him her heart, only to have all her hopes destroyed, destroyed in the form of her teammates coming back in the forms of bloody pulps after returning from a mission to try to get you back?" asked Kakashi.

Sasuke felt his eyes watering up again, and he was glad that he was behind Kakashi so that he couldn't see his face.

"But... I think Sakura took it the hardest... I think..." muttered Kakashi to himself as though he was unsure.

"..."

Sasuke didn't have any memories of any of the things Kakashi spoke about. But it didn't make the pain, sadness, and guilt any less worse.

"You know Sensei, I don't remember any of this happening. But the more and more I hear of it, the more and more I realize that I can never do such things." said Sasuke.

Kakashi looked at him warily out of the corner of his eye.

"I see the pain in your faces, and it is affecting me greater than I ever thought emotions would. I know that it is too late to say it now... But I guess that you guys are really all the real family I have left." said Sasuke.

"..."

_'Sasuke...'_ thought Kakashi.

"You know, once you really gain our trust back, you might just be able to live life the way you want to." said Kakashi.

Sasuke looked up at him.

"And what way would I want to live my life?" asked Sasuke.

"Happily. There's no point in living if you don't live happily. Or if you at least live to make someone else happy." said Kakashi.

Sasuke paused for a minute to think.

They continued to search quickly for Naruto, but Kakashi feared that this conversation was side-tracking them from their current scouting mission.

"Kakashi... have you ever... loved?" asked Sasuke.

Kakashi blinked, but didn't look back at Sasuke.

"Quite talkative all of the sudden, aren't we Sasuke? If my memory serves correctly, you weren't much of a talker. And when you did talk, you were either telling off Sakura, telling off opponents, or calling out Naruto's disabilities." said Kakashi.

Sasuke blinked once, and then looked at his feet in shame.

"You didn't answer my question." said Sasuke.

"Hm. I suppose I didn't." said Kakashi.

Sasuke waited for a response, but it never came.

_'I really messed up. But I don't remember ever doing it... This doesn't seem fair.'_ thought Sasuke.

"You know Sensei, I am who I am. But if being who I need to be is going to hurt my friends... my only family... then I suppose that I can live to make someone else happy, instead of living for myself, and my own revenge." said Sasuke.

Kakashi looked back at him in surprise, but Sasuke did not react, he was busy scanning the surroundings as they moved.

_'Sasuke... Maybe you will do the right thing... this time around.' _thought Kakashi.

* * *

_'TreeTreeTreeTreeTreeTreeTreeTree...'_ thought Anko quickly.

She and Yamato flew through the forest, covering the grounds they were assigned to.

_'This is boring...'_ thought Anko.

_'TreeTreeTreeTreeTreeTreeTreeTree...' _thought Anko.

She looked over to Yamato.

_'I wonder what he is thinking...'_ thought Anko.

_'He is a member of ANBU. He is a skilled captain that is easily on the top half of the ANBU squads. And to top it all off, he has a special Kekkei Genkai derived from the First Hokage. I bet his mind is complex and complicated. His thoughts must be very serious and smart...'_ thought Anko.

_'TreeTreeTreeTreeSquirrelTreeTreeTree...'_ thought Yamato.

"See anything yet?" asked Anko.

"Nothing yet, but I'll keep you posted." said Yamato.

_'If we don't find Naruto soon, the entire world's safety could actually hang in the balance. It's a good thing that I have such competent and reliable Shinobi on my team.' _thought Yamato.

He looked over at Anko to see her picking her nose.

_'...Maybe I am developing a poor judge in character...'_ thought Yamato with a sigh.

* * *

Kakashi and Sasuke saw a clearing up ahead. The clearing they were supposed to meet up in.

Yamato and Anko were already there, and it looked as though Neji and Ten Ten had just arrived as well.

"Ten Ten, you were the last one to talk to Hinata aside from Naruto, do you know where she could have gone?" asked Neji.

"I have no idea where they could have gone..." said Ten Ten.

Kakashi and Sasuke landed next to Neji, earning his attention.

"Did you find anything?" asked Neji.

"No, nothing." said Kakashi.

"We didn't find anything either." said Yamato.

"I just don't get it. We searched North, East, and West. We searched only as far as a ninja should journey from the group. Why haven't we found them? Where could they be?" asked Kakashi in frustration.

"Um, what about South?" asked Ten Ten.

"What?" asked Kakashi.

"I said what about South? There are 4 primary directions, we only searched three." said Ten Ten.

"One, two, three..." muttered Kakashi as he counted with his fingers.

"Oh... Oh yeah South... Son of a birch!!!" exclaimed Kakashi.

"No offense Yamato." said Kakashi.

"None taken." replied Yamato.

"Well, we know where they are, so now all we have to do is get there." said Neji.

"Right. I just hope we find them in time..." said Anko.

* * *

"Hm hmhm...." hummed Naruto wistfully.

Naruto snuck a glance over at Hinata. She hadn't looked at him for more than half a second since they had their talk.

He was still holding her hand, and he was glad she hadn't taken it back.

He watched her hair wave back and forth slightly as she walked, which brought his eyes to her hips which had a slight swing to them every step she took.

Naruto blushed and forced himself to look down at his feet so that he wouldn't be caught staring.

_'I hope she's doing alright...'_ thought Naruto.

**_"Her spirit energy is very high right now, so that would mean she is happy."_** said Kyuubi.

"Spirit energy? You mean her chakra?" asked Naruto.

**_"You could consider it chakra... In a sense I suppose..."_** muttered Kyuubi.

"So when her spirit energy is high, that means she's happy?" asked Naruto.

**_"Usually. But it depends on the being and their attributes."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto had a puzzled expression on his face.

**_"(Sigh) Just never-mind, I'll school you on it later. But right now, I can sense your concerns lie deeply in the Hyuuga girl, so I doubt you could concentrate much anyways." _**said Kyuubi.

Naruto glanced over at Hinata to she that she was still blushing.

_'I don't know how she can be so happy. After I found out about you, I felt terrible... It's been less than a day and she's already smiling.' _thought Naruto in concern.

**_"Well, something must be making her very happy. An emotion that could overpower her sorrow. Whatever she is thinking about, it must be greatly shadowing her sadness."_** said Kyuubi.

"..."

Naruto looked over at Hinata again, but this time their eyes met.

Hinata blushed and immediately looked away from him in embarrassment.

"Hey Hinata, you alright?" asked Naruto as he gently squeezed her hand.

Hinata blushed a bit deeper and nodded slightly.

_'His hand... holding mine... feeling mine... Naruto...'_ thought Hinata day-dreamily.

"You seem like you're doing alright, but I can't help but feel paranoid about it. After what I went through..." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata looked up at him for a moment before blushing and looking back down again.

"I... I d-didn't go through what you did... I am an heiress... I was never mistreated like you were." said Hinata quietly.

"I... suppose that is true... But I can't help it. I'm worried." said Naruto.

"T-trust me. I'm fine... Believe it." said Hinata with a small smile.

Naruto looked at her in surprise.

"Dattebayo..." said Naruto with a surprised expression and a smile.

Hinata giggled a little and looked away from him, realizing that they were already back to camp.

"..."

(Cricket Noise)

"Where is everyone?" asked Naruto.

Naruto took a few steps into the camp, leading Hinata forward.

(Crunch)

(Cricket Noise Stops)

"..."

Naruto ignored what happened and walked to the center of camp. He stood next to the fire pit which was full of dry wood.

The tent's flaps all faced the fire, but they couldn't see anyone inside of them.

Hinata was looking over at Naruto, and she had a pretty good idea what he was thinking.

"Hinata." said Naruto.

Hinata nodded.

"Byakugan." said Hinata.

She looked around the general area.

She went from tree to tree to a small stream, and she even found some animals walking around, which were mostly squirrels. But other than that there was nobody in sight.

Hinata deactivated her blood limit and shook her head.

Naruto nodded in understanding.

"Maybe they had to go the bathroom... simultaneously..." said Naruto jokingly.

Hinata giggled at Naruto before getting more serious.

"They m-may have gone searching for us." suggested Hinata.

"We were both gone for a while there. They probably got concerned." said Naruto.

"I hope we d-didn't worry them too much..." said Hinata.

"It's best not to worry about that. The best thing to do is to wait here until they return." said Naruto.

Hinata nodded in agreement.

"I'll go and see what Kakashi has to eat." said Naruto.

To Hinata's dismay, Naruto let go of her hand.

As he walked in the other direction, Hinata put her hand under her nose and took a sniff of Naruto's scent.

She blushed as she recalled what it felt like when Naruto had hugged her.

While Hinata kept herself preoccupied, Naruto was rummaging through Kakashi's bag.

_'No bars or anything. Kakashi must have plans for something else to eat.'_ thought Naruto.

He dug deeper until he found a zipper at the bottom on the bag. He opened it to find Kakashi's 2nd edition Icha Icha Paradise book.

He pulled out the book, remembering that he had given it to Kakashi the first day he came back to Konoha after he trained with Jiraiya for three years.

He went to put it back, but there was something else in the compartment. Out of curiosity, he reached in and pulled out a dark colored box with a velvety red ribbon tied around it.

"Hm?" muttered Naruto in curiosity.

He untied the ribbon, and opened the box, revealing 40 assorted chocolates.

"Jackpot." said Naruto happily.

He walked back over to Hinata, who was now sitting down on one of the 10 ft. logs laying in a circular fashion around the fire.

Naruto sat down directly next to Hinata, and opened the box.

"You want some?" asked Naruto.

Hinata looked at Naruto's lap and noticed him holding a box of chocolates.

"I'm not really hungry..." began Hinata.

(Grrrrrrnnnnnn)

Hinata stomach growled quite loudly.

Hinata blushed and looked at her lap.

"Yes you are." said Naruto with a smile.

Naruto took a chocolate in his hand and smiled a bit.

He sat up slightly and yawned, making it seem like he really felt sleepy.

Then, Naruto continued to look at the box as though he was deciding which he would give to Hinata.

Seeing Naruto yawn made Hinata suddenly felt a bit drowsy herself.

She opened her mouth and covered it to yawn.

Naruto smirked and held her hand out of the way. Then he quickly popped the chocolate into her mouth.

She jumped when the chocolate landed on her tongue, and she blushed when she realized that she still had her mouth wide open.

She blushed and closed her mouth, softly chewing the chocolate before swallowing it.

She looked over to Naruto to see him smiling at her.

_'He put food in my mouth... Just like a real couple would do...'_ thought Hinata with a deep blush.

"You need to eat something to tide you over until we actually eat. Here, have another." said Naruto.

"Naruto I..." began Hinata.

Before she could say another word, Naruto popped another chocolate into her mouth.

She blushed again and ate the chocolate.

Naruto smiled and had one himself.

This went on for several minutes until the box was empty.

Naruto turned the box upside-down.

"Looks like we're out." said Naruto.

_'Aw. I was really enjoying that...' _thought Hinata with a blush.

Naruto leaned over and shoved the box in with the firewood.

Suddenly Naruto turned to the North.

Hinata wondered what he was looking at, so she got up and looked North as well.

"It's the group coming right towards us." said Naruto.

"Are they alright?" asked Hinata.

"Yes, everything is fine, but they do seem to be in a hurry." said Naruto as he sat back down.

Hinata saw that Naruto wasn't worried so she sat down next to him again.

They waited for a few moments before the group flew into the clearing, expecting anything.

"Hey. Where were you guys, and why were you in such a rush?" asked Naruto.

_'They are alone. Neither of them look as though they are upset, but I can tell that they both have recently been crying...'_ thought Kakashi.

"We got worried and went looking for you, we realized that you could be back here at the camp, so we hurried back so that we wouldn't miss you if you decided to leave again." said Kakashi.

"And why is it so important that you know where I am?" asked Naruto suspiciously.

_'He's onto us...'_ thought Kakashi.

"We are a team Naruto. We should always know where every member is at all times." said Yamato.

Naruto blinked in surprise and nodded in understanding.

_'Saved by Tenzo...'_ thought Kakashi.

Kakashi noticed how close Naruto was sitting to Hinata.

Kakashi looked over to Ten Ten, then jerked his head towards Hinata.

'But I thought he said not to do anything to Hinata...' thought Ten Ten.

Ten Ten was doubtful, but Kakashi didn't change his look.

Ten Ten nodded and walked over to Hinata, pulling her up from her seat next to Naruto.

"W-what?" asked Hinata in surprise.

"How about we go talk about girl stuff..." said Ten Ten as she dragged Hinata away.

"Way the hell over here..." muttered Ten Ten.

"B-But Ten Ten..." complained Hinata.

Ten Ten dragged Hinata to the other side of the clearing, and began talking to her about seemingly random things of no importance.

"There are SO many things we need to talk about girl! We are away from each other a lot so I wanted to know what was going on with you." said Ten Ten with a smile.

_'Just keep her pre-occupied until Kakashi gives me the okay.'_ thought Ten Ten.

"..."

Hinata didn't want to be rude to Ten Ten, but she knew she would much rather be with Naruto.

_'Well, she is my best friend, I can't just blow her off.' _thought Hinata.

"T-There are a lot of things going on... r-right now." said Hinata quietly.

That was something Ten Ten didn't really expect.

_'I thought that I would have to keep up the conversation, but it looks like she's been holding out on me... Did something happen with Naruto?'_ thought Ten Ten curiously.

"Oh really?" asked Ten Ten mischievously.

Hinata never liked it when Ten Ten talked like that, it usually meant something uncomfortable and embarrassing was going to happen.

"Does one of those things _going on_ happen to be Naruto?" asked Ten Ten with a smirk.

To Ten Ten's surprise, Hinata didn't blush, but she looked at her feet.

"S-sort of..." said Hinata quietly.

Ten Ten sat down next to a tree and looked up at her.

"Well, papa-squat and tell me all about it." said Ten Ten.

Ten Ten patted the ground next to her invitingly.

Hinata hesitated for a moment before taking the spot.

Hinata looked over to Naruto, who was looking straight at her.

She blushed and turned away, forgetting that Ten Ten was sitting next to her.

"Is your feelings for Naruto really that intense?" asked Ten Ten.

Hinata blushed deeper and looked back to Naruto.

She muttered something that sounded like "yeah..."

Naruto wasn't looking at Hinata anymore, but instead he was looking at everyone around him in suspicion.

Everyone was a good 10 yards away from him, and they all seemed really uncomfortable about something.

_'What up with them?'_ asked Naruto.

_**"Hm... They feel... worried. And there is some fear there too."**_ said Kyuubi.

Naruto was used to people around him acting that way, he realized exactly what it was.

_'But why now all of the sudden? Why weren't they like this the entire mission so far? If they really feared me being a Jinchuriki, then why not before, why now?'_ asked Naruto.

Kakashi noticed the expression on Naruto's face change from content to sad. He noticed his frown, and he contemplative stare into the grass at his feet.

_'I have no idea what is going on with Naruto right now... He seems sad, and based on the last time I tried to talk to him, I think I shouldn't interact unless he talks to me.'_ thought Kakashi.

**_"Hm... If you really want to know the extent of what they feel... try... experimenting a bit."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto, without another thought, quickly stood up from his seat.

Immediately, everyone jumped back in surprise.

Anko even had a kunai out.

Naruto knew it. They were scared of him.

_'Everyone's trust in me... What happened to it? What happened to all of the years we spent together? Doesn't that mean anything?' _thought Naruto as he clenched his fists.

Kakashi immediately noticed his fists clench, so he signaled the group to prepare for anything.

**_"Remember not to jump to conclusions kit. There must be new information they have about you or me that they didn't have before. Kakashi must have realized something important, either that or he is the one jumping to conclusions." _**said Kyuubi.

Naruto paused for a moment, un-clenching his fists.

_'Well... I can't blame Kakashi for taking these measures. I do have YOU inside of me after all. It is understandable for him to be concerned.' _thought Naruto.

**_"I know that they trust you Naruto. They know you. But as for me... I don't think we've ever met."_** said Kyuubi.

Naruto chuckled a bit at Kyuubi's comment. But the demon was right, he needed to remember that his friends would always be his friends, no matter what.

_'Well, while I have them on the ropes, I suppose it would be alright to have some fun.'_ thought Naruto.

**_"Now that's the fox in you talking."_** said Kyuubi with an uncharacteristically proud expression.

Naruto just stood in front of his seat, not moving an inch.

_'He was just chuckling about something? Is he alright?'_ thought Neji.

_'There's no telling what might happen...'_ thought Anko.

Suddenly, Naruto swiftly moved directly in front of Kakashi, standing not even two feet away from him.

_'He moved too quickly! I barely caught the movement!'_ thought Kakashi.

**_"Kakashi sempai..."_** said Naruto in a deep baritone voice.

His expression was dark and disturbing, in a way it was as though Kakashi was actually talking to the Nine-tailed Bijuu.

Kakashi's eyes widened.

_'Oh Kami...'_ thought Kakashi.

_**(DOOM)**_

Naruto leaned in closer and closer to Kakashi, his demonic aura sending shivers down his spine.

"What are we having for supper?" asked Naruto happily.

Everyone had the same disbelieving expression on their face.

_'W-What?' _thought Kakashi in confusion.

"U-um... I... I was going to catch some fish. There is a stream just North of here." said Kakashi while warily watching Naruto's movements.

"Kay." said Naruto happily.

He moved quickly over to Hinata and Ten Ten, surprising them.

"Hey Hinata, do you know any good recipes for fish?" asked Naruto.

Hinata blinked before responding.

"Y-yes... I know p-plenty of them..." said Hinata.

"Good. I was wondering if you would mind cooking for us. The last time I had you're cooking, everything else I ate afterwords seemed to pale in comparison. Believe it." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata blushed at the complements and praise, and she managed to nod her head yes.

"Great! While we're waiting for the fish, wanna sit down for a bit and rest with me?" said Naruto hopefully.

_'He's... Asking me to be with him!' _thought Hinata.

"S-sure!" exclaimed Hinata a bit too loudly.

Naruto smiled and took her hand in his, helping her up from the ground.

He led her back over to the log they originally sat on, and sat her down rather close.

She blushed and enjoyed the moment.

_'He's... He's sitting so close!'_ thought Hinata as her face blushed entirely red.

_'Hinata... she feels really nice... even through she's barely touching me...'_ thought Naruto as cheeks blushed red.

Kakashi blinked a few times as though he was trying to get his mind to get up to pace on what just happened.

_'One second, I thought he was going to raise all hell, but now he is fine...'_ thought Kakashi.

Kakashi casually signaled them to relax, and he sat down opposite to Naruto and Hinata.

Everyone hesitated before relaxing themselves a bit.

_'What happened there... Naruto was just like before...'_ thought Sasuke.

_'I thought for a second there...'_ thought Anko warily.

_'Naruto...'_ thought Neji.

_'I trust Kakashi-sempai. I guess we should just do as he instructs and relax...' _thought Yamato as he sat back against a tree.

The rest of them sat down on the numerous logs around the campfire and tried to relax, but they couldn't.

All of them were watching Naruto warily.

Naruto sat there motionless, watching them all stare at him.

"..."

"ACHRAAAAW!!!" sneezed Naruto violently.

The sneeze caused everyone to jump in surprise.

Anko was on the other side of her log swearing, Kakashi was in an awkward Tae-Kwon-_Doe _pose, and Ten Ten had jumped up into Neji's arms.

"Excuse me." said Naruto with a hint of mischief in his smile.

_'God Naruto...'_ thought Neji, who was still taken aback.

_'I thought he exploded or something...'_ thought Yamato.

_'Hehe... I really had them going, I... I... I feel hot.'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto could feel his body heating up for some reason. And it felt good.

**_"Hot? What do you mean hot?" _**asked Kyuubi.

"I... It... Oh wow..." muttered Naruto drowsily.

**_"Naruto? Naruto what do you mean?" _**asked Kyuubi.

Naruto's face flushed red, and his eyes became slightly glazed over.

Hinata noticed his expression, and immediately became concerned.

"Naruto? Are you... oh... um... oh..." muttered Hinata.

Hinata's face flushed red, and her eyes also glazed over.

"Oh wow... so warm... th-this feeling..." mumbled Hinata.

Both Naruto and Hinata had overwhelmed expressions on their faces.

_'Well, their eyes say that they are tired. And those two being asleep would really put my mind at ease. So if they are going to fall asleep, then I guess I can stop worrying so much.'_ thought Kakashi.

He reached behind his log and pulled out his bag, looking into it.

He brought the bag up to his face to look inside, and he immediately dropped the bag.

His expression was mortified.

Anko and Yamato noticed it immediately and began what looked like seemingly random hand and arm movements.

Anko: (What? What's wrong)

Kakashi: (Oh No.)

Yamato: (What? What is it?)

Kakashi: (Oh God no...)

Anko: (Just tell us already!)

Kakashi picked up his bag casually and put it behind his log again.

"Hey, I've gotta take care of business." said Kakashi.

Kakashi headed out into the woods in a seemingly random direction.

Anko and Yamato nodded knowingly to each other.

"That reminds me, I should probably get my things ready for tonight." said Yamato.

"Yeah, probably a good idea to get that out of the way now." said Anko.

Yamato went into his tent, and Anko went into her own tent.

The only one who thought it was suspicious was the only one not sitting on the logs.

_'This seems suspicious...' _thought Sasuke.

Sasuke looked around to see that nobody was really paying attention to him.

Neji still had Ten Ten in his arms, the leaders were all out of view, and Naruto and Hinata seemed to be out of it.

Sasuke took a breathe to relax himself, and he swiftly moved into the forest and after Kakashi.

"Actually, getting ready for the night sounds like a good idea." hinted Ten Ten.

"..."

"Neji hon, you can let me down now..." said Ten Ten with a blush.

"Why? It doesn't get any better than my hand on your butt." said Neji with a smirk.

Ten Ten blushed.

"Come on hon..." said Ten Ten.

Her brown eyes looked up at his.

They were all googly and emotional, begging him to do whatever she wanted.

"Oh that's just not fair." said Neji.

Neji set her down and she walked sexily and suggestively into their tent.

Neji flushed heavily.

"Excuse me for a moment." said Neji quickly and politely.

Neji opened the tent flap and dived in, earning a surprised squeal from Ten Ten.

"It's... I guess It's... just you and me..." slurred Naruto.

"Y-yeah..." mumbled Hinata with a blush.

* * *

Kakashi found the a small clearing and stopped.

He held out his right hand in the air, and shot a pulse of chakra into the air.

He waited a few seconds, then did it again.

(Rumble)

Suddenly Yamato popped out of the ground, using the tunnel jutsu.

"Where's Anko?" asked Kakashi hurriedly.

(Rumble)

(Thud)

Muffled:("Aw! God! Fuck! What the fuck!? Fucking fuck!!!") exclaimed Anko from underground.

(Rumble)

A large rock came out of the ground which was thrown aside.

Anko came out after the rock, rubbing her head and swearing.

"God damn rock... Bringing its shit up in here..." muttered Anko angrily.

"Okay you two, listen and listen good." said Kakashi.

Anko and Yamato looked at each other than looked at Kakashi.

"What was so important that you couldn't say it in front of the younger set?" asked Yamato.

"Did either of you take some chocolate out of my bag?" asked Kakashi.

They both blinked.

"Why did you bring chocolate?" asked Yamato in confusion.

"Why wouldn't he bring chocolate?" asked Anko in confusion.

"..."

"So it wasn't either of you... this is bad." said Kakashi warningly.

"What's so bad about it? So you lost a few chocolates, so what?" asked Anko.

"Yeah, It's not the end of the world." agreed Yamato.

"You don't understand. That wasn't normal chocolate." said Kakashi.

"Not normal? What was in it that chocolate that would be such big deal?" asked Yamato.

"How about enough aphrodisiac per serving of chocolate to make a hundred people go hump-crazy?" asked Kakashi.

"..."

"Wow um... Why would you have that with you?" asked Yamato.

"Never mind that, right now we have a very delicate if not catastrophic situation to deal with." said Kakashi.

"How so?" asked Yamato.

"Think about it. A bunch of hormonal teenagers with a box full of extremely potent aphrodisiac chocolates, and nothing to lose except their pants." said Kakashi.

"..."

"Dear God..." muttered Yamato.

"It's an orgy fest just waiting to happen..." muttered Anko in slight awe.

"Good god, we need to get back and find out who took it!" exclaimed Yamato.

"Yeah, best-case-scenario, maybe they haven't even eaten it." said Anko.

* * *

Flying through the tree boughs, five figures made their way to their destination as quickly as possible.

The sun was making its way down, reminding them that they were running out of time.

"Come on everyone! We can't afford to let them get too far ahead!" exclaimed Gai.

"I feel like we've been traveling like this for hours." complained Kiba.

"That may be because we HAVE been traveling like this for hours." said Sai.

"Maybe we should take a break." said Houkou with a blush.

"Hm?" muttered Kiba.

_'She's acting strange again...'_ thought Kiba.

"Well, if the pretty lady needs to take a break, I can oblige." said Gai.

"Look out!!!" exclaimed a voice.

Gai turned his head back just in time to smack into what looked like a red and pink blur.

Gai and the blur tumbled to the ground, rolling before smashing into a tree.

"Ow." said Gai.

Gai got up to see that he had smashed Sakura against the tree.

"Oh! Sakura!" exclaimed Gai.

Sakura was laying against the tree, rubbing her head tenderly.

Gai quickly picked her up onto her feet and dusted her off.

Everyone jumped down to the ground and hurried over to Sakura.

"Sakura-chan! Are you alright?" asked Lee.

"H-Hai... I'm fine Lee..." mumbled Sakura while rubbing her head.

"What are you doing way out here?" asked Kiba.

Before she could answer, a voice rang among the trees.

"Sakura!" exclaimed Ino.

She landed next to Lee and rushed over to Sakura.

"What happened? Are you alright?" asked Ino.

"I ran into Gai and fell, but I'm fine." said Sakura.

"Gai?" asked Ino.

Ino turned to see Lee, Gai, and Sai.

"Huh? What are you guys doing out here?" asked Ino.

"I was about to ask you that same question." said Lee.

"Well, Tsunade had assigned us to a mission a few days ago. She told us to check up on our relations with the Hidden Sand Village" said Ino.

"Are you just getting back from that?" asked Gai.

"Well, you could say that. We went to Suna to try to find Gaara, because he's the Kazekage. But when we got there, it turned out that Gaara had left more than a week ago to Konoha." said Sakura.

"Yes, and I do apologize for that." said a voice.

Sand poured up and out of the ground, and formed a large sphere that was over five feet in diameter.

The sand quickly began to fall from the sphere, as though it was disintegrating.

Once the sand completely fell to the ground, it revealed Gaara.

Despite the fact that sand was all over him, he had not blinked once during the entire appearance.

"Again Gaara, I said it was no big deal. It was Tsunade's fault anyways. She's the one who assigned us to go to Suna to see you when you weren't even there." said Sakura.

Gaara nodded politely.

"Alright... But I sense there are others. Where is the rest of your group?" asked Gaara.

"Hm?" said Gai.

Gai looked around to only find Lee and Sai.

"Where did Kiba and Houkou go?" asked Gai.

"I don't know where they went, but wherever they are going, they are probably going to be pant-less." said Sai.

(Group Blush)

"What do you mean pant-less? Am I missing something here?" asked Ino.

Sakura had the same confused look on her face.

"Let's just say that Houkou has certain... needs that Kiba attends to." said Gai with a blush.

Sakura and Ino's faces flushed.

Suddenly Kiba and Houkou came out of the shrubs.

Their faces were red, and Houkou was ruffling her hair back into it's normal position on her head.

She looked up to see everyone staring at her.

She blushed deeply and ducked behind Kiba with a squeak.

"K-Kiba!" complained Houkou in embarrassment.

"Hey! Mind your own business!" yelled Kiba angrily.

Everyone jumped a bit at his yelling, and tried to nonchalantly look away.

All except Gaara, who continued to stare at Houkou.

Kiba would have said something, but Gaara spoke first.

"You know, we are still enemies until the treaty is finalized." said Gaara.

Houkou peaked out from behind Kiba in surprise.

"Treaty? What treaty?" asked Gai.

He wasn't aware of any treaties happening.

_'Maybe this is something I should report to Tsunade-sama...'_ thought Gai.

Houkou gave Gaara a look that Kiba knew from spending so much time with Houkou.

_'Gaara said something she didn't want him to say.'_ thought Kiba.

"Um. Nothing! It's an inside joke. You had to be there." said Houkou with a small laugh.

"Hm?" muttered Gai.

"Right. You had to be there." repeated Gaara.

_'Naruto's friends don't know about the treaty? I figured that he would have told them...'_ thought Gaara.

"Well. Now that has been cleared up for you, do you mind telling us what YOU are doing here?" asked Ino.

"Tsunade sent us on an S-class mission. The safety of the entire world rests on our hands. Any help we can get is welcome." said Gai.

"The-the entire world?!" exclaimed Sakura.

Ino and Gaara had surprised expressions.

"Yes. It's... It's Naruto." said Lee sadly.

"Naruto!? Oh God what did he do now!?" asked Sakura

"Well... It's not really anything he did... It's more like... something he might do." said Kiba.

"What he might do? I trust Naruto. I know that he would never do anything that could jeopardize lives." said Gaara.

"Normally I would trust Naruto just as much as the next person, but what about when he isn't himself? Surely that's something you can understand... Gaara." said Gai.

Gaara's eyes narrowed for a moment.

"Kyuubi no Yoko." said Gaara.

Gai nodded.

"There is a really high chance that a slight aggravation of Naruto's nerves could cause him to mindlessly rage the Kyuubi's powers on this unsuspecting world." said Lee.

"Aggravation of his nerves?" asked Ino.

"Well, if any of his emotions get too powerful or overwhelming, it could enable the Kyuubi's power to take over Naruto, possibly bringing about the end of the world." said Gai.

"That is bad." said Gaara simply.

"Duh!" exclaimed Kiba.

"Well!? Where is he?! It's obvious we have to find him as quickly as possible!" exclaimed Ino.

"That is the problem. We need to catch up to them." said Sai.

"Catch Up?" asked Gaara.

"Tsunade assigned them on a mission to infiltrate Koorigakure. Unfortunately that was immediately before she learned that Naruto's current state was unstable." said Gai.

"Right! And now we must get to Naruto and be sure he stays stable!" exclaimed Lee.

"Stable? So... we have to keep him content?" asked Gaara.

"Wait woah! Let me get this straight... We have to find Naruto... And then be his therapists?" asked Ino incredulously.

"Well, in a way I suppose... But really, we are going to have to make sure that he isn't aggravated or saddened in any way." said Gai.

"(Sigh) Alright. I'm up to the task, despite the fact that I'm not looking forward to catering to Naruto's every whim." said Ino.

"Well, I doubt you'll have to cater to his EVERY whim. If you did, sex might be involved." said Kiba.

Sakura, Houkou, and Ino looked at him with wide eyes and frozen expressions.

"That's not what I heard. I heard from a very reliable source that Naruto is quite old-fashioned, if you know what I mean." said Gai.

"..."

"No, I don't know what you mean." said Kiba finally.

"He means that Naruto believes in giving himself only to one girl... for life." said Gaara.

"..."

"How would you know that?" asked Kiba incredulously.

"I know things." said Gaara.

"Naruto thinks that? That's really romantic." said Ino with a blush.

"(Sigh) Let's drop all of this meaningless chatter. We need to find Naruto. I am taking command. If that is alright with you Kazekage-sama." said Gai.

"Certainly." said Gaara.

"Uh! What about me?" asked Houkou in a huff.

"Hm? What about you?" asked Gai.

"I'm the Raikage!" exclaimed Houkou angrily.

"Oh. Oh yeah. Is it alright with you Raikage-sama?" asked Gai.

"(Sigh) Let's just go." muttered Houkou.

"Oh. Don't be that way. I don't like it when you're not happy." said Kiba.

Kiba whipped around and hugged her, licking her face.

"(Giggle) Oh Kiba!" giggled Houkou.

She leaned up on her tippy-toes and licked him back.

Kiba grabbed Houkou's arm and hefted her onto his back.

She tightly held onto him, and got comfortable for piggy-backing.

"Alright! Let's go!" exclaimed Kiba.

Kiba jumped up onto the next tree branch and turned back.

"Well come on! We might not have all day here!" exclaimed Kiba.

Kiba jumped out of sight, leaving everyone standing there, not knowing what to say.

"They licked each other... Right in front of us!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Those kinds of intimate actions should only be in private!" exclaimed Ino as though she was offended.

"Now now. If you are so uncomfortable with it, talk to Houkou about it." said Gai.

Gai jumped up onto the branch, followed by Gaara and Lee.

"Well, come on then! Youth isn't going to lolligag around so neither should you!" exclaimed Gai joyously.

They jumped away, leaving Ino and Sakura alone.

They looked at each other with the same uncomfortable expression.

They both sighed and nodded to each other, taking off after their group.

* * *

The sun was setting, the day was closing, yet another dire day was about to pass.

It was almost night once again, but it seemed like the time couldn't pass fast enough.

"Gah! I'm going crazy!" exclaimed Tsunade.

All of her paperwork was done, but she was still going nuts.

_'I haven't heard a single thing yet from Sakura's team, Gai's Team, or most importantly, Naruto's Team!'_ thought Tsunade in frustration.

"What if they're fighting down Naruto right now?! What if Kyuubi killed them all?!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"What if you're being too paranoid?" asked Tyler.

Tsunade jumped at the sound of his voice.

"Tyler! I demand to be reprimanded for the damages you caused to my office!!" exclaimed Tsunade angrily.

Tyler blinked at her.

"What damages?" asked Tyler.

Tsunade angrily pointed at the large gaping hole that used to be the right wall of her office.

"..."

"That wasn't there before?" asked Tyler.

Tsunade turned red in the face and clenched her fists in anger.

"Ah. Wait. Actually it was there before... But Naruto did that, and we fixed it, but now you did this one, and you need to pay for it." said Tsunade.

"Alright, How much is it?" asked Tyler.

Tyler pulled a black leather wallet out of his pocket.

"It's probably more than what's in your wallet." said Tsunade.

Tyler just stood there expectantly.

"(Sigh) Alright. You owe us 98,000,000 Ryou." said Tsunade.

"Alright, I'll see what I've got with me." said Tyler as dug into his wallet.

"I don't think..." began Tsunade.

Tyler pulled a wok full of golden coins out of his wallet, and let it land on her desk with a thud.

"Alright here. 10, 20, 30, 70, 90, and that makes 100 million Ryou." said Tyler.

Tsunade looked down at her desk to see 10 pure gold coins sitting on her desk.

"Th-that... That's more than you owe..." stuttered Tsunade in disbelief.

"Keep the change." said Tyler.

"B-but it's all change..." muttered Tsunade with wide eyes.

He picked up the wok, and held it above his wallet.

(Shlorp!)

The wok got sucked into his wallet, which Tyler promptly pocketed.

Tyler turned around and walked to the door.

Before getting to the door, Tyler turned to Tsunade.

"I am sorry for what happened here, it was unexpected." said Tyler.

"Uh huh, yeah..." muttered Tsunade.

She was busy staring at the gold coins on her desk.

"Well alright. If you have any questions, like you seem to have a lot of lately, you know where I live." said Tyler.

"Wait What!? I do!?" exclaimed Tsunade.

Tyler disappeared without another word.

"..."

"I know where he lives?" asked Tsunade to herself.

* * *

The night finally fell, allowing certain shops around Konoha to turn on their lights to indicate that they were still open.

The bar was pretty quiet, but you could never really tell what was normal business in this particular bar.

This wasn't just any bar in Konoha, this was THE bar in Konoha.

A secret bar that only a select few knew about.

Only Shinobi ranked Chunnin or higher could enter.

This way, when skilled ninja wanted to sit down to have a drink and chat, they knew that they could come here without having to worry about normal citizens.

This bar was aptly named, "The Shinobi Bar."

The entrance was simple. Walk down the stairs from the street to the iron gridlock door. All you had to do to get in was to swipe your ID card into the lock on the right side of the door. If you were properly ranked Chunnin or higher and you were at least 16 years of age, the door would let you in.

In the bar, beyond the 50 or so dining/card tables and past the 20 or so pool tables was the actual beverage/food bar. Many flocked here to get drinks. Mainly because the stuff they sold here wasn't watered down.

"Hey Bry, kinda slow tonight eh?" asked Tyler.

Tyler was sitting at the bar, and for some reason nobody sat within 10 chairs of him.

"I know right? But you never know when 300 or more Shinobi will suddenly shunshin in here..." said Bryant.

Bryant was behind the counter, cleaning some glasses that sat in the drain.

"..."

"So... you work here too?" asked Tyler.

"Yep." said Bryant.

"So... what are you a part-time bartender or what?" asked Tyler.

"Actually, I'm the owner, and I like to bar-tend when I can." said Bryant.

"..."

"So you own and run a restaurant during the day, and you own and run a bar at night?" asked Shizune.

"Yep. I'm living the dream." said Bryant.

"So..." began Tyler.

Tyler looked around the room to see if there was anyone he knew.

_'No one I know in the pool area... hm...'_ thought Tyler.

He looked to his right to see a familiar co-worker sitting anxiously at the stool next to him.

_'She must have just arrived...'_ thought Tyler.

"Shizune, what are you doing here?" asked Tyler.

Shizune blinked at him, and upon recognizing him, her eyes widened in surprise.

_'It's Tyler! We still don't know where he stands on relations with our country... He might still be preparing to invade. One thing is for certain, he cannot be allowed to leave this country.' _thought Shizune.

"I just got off work. So I figured I'd come down to the SB." said Shizune.

"...The son bitch?" asked Tyler.

"..."

"No." said Bryant.

"..."

"The Soy Bean? The Sexy Bitch?" asked Tyler.

"..."

"Santa Barbara?" asked Tyler.

"(Sigh)The Shinobi Bar..." said Bryant.

"Ah. That's a nice dress you're wearing. Looks expensive." said Tyler suddenly.

Shizune blinked for a moment before smiling.

"I daresay it was. But splurging every once in a while is a good thing." said Shizune.

"So... How's that one mission going?" asked Bryant.

"Which one?" asked Shizune.

"You know, Naruto, Kyuubi, destruction of the entire world in the balance... That one." said Tyler.

"Oh, well its pretty bad. We haven't gotten any word back yet from any of the teams, and Tsunade is driving herself insane with worry. And frankly, so am I. Which is why I came down here, to relieve some stress." said Shizune.

"Oh, gonna get your drink on to relieve stress?" asked Tyler.

"Well... not exactly..." said Shizune with a blush.

(Quick Flashback)

_"You should really wear black undies. Un. It matches your eyes and your hair to your skin tone. Un." said Deidara._

(Quick End Flashback)

_'Taking the advice of of an alleged S class criminal is one thing...' _thought Shizune.

She felt the waistline of her dress, knowing that underneath it, she wore black undergarments.

_'But taking the advice of an artist is another thing entirely.'_ thought Shizune with a blush.

As she thought over her intimate ensemble, a man walked up and put his arm around Shizune.

"Hey. You ready to go?" asked Iruka.

"Ooohhh... I see what's going on here. Alright you two, don't get too crazy." said Bryant with a smile.

Shizune blushed deeply and tried to stutter out some form of denial.

"Hehe, alright, but I'm not making any promises." said Iruka with a smile.

Shizune turned stark red.

"I-I-Iruka!" complained Shizune in embarrassment.

"C'mon, lets go." said Iruka happily and he practically carried her out of the bar.

"Iruka!" exclaimed Shizune with a blush as he carried her out of the bar.

"It's times like these that I consider going on dates instead of working... Having a relationship is looking pretty good right now. Like yours and Ashley's." said Bryant.

"Ashley..." muttered Tyler.

"Heh. I actually wish I had a relationship like yours..." sighed Bryant.

"You do?" muttered Tyler.

(Flashback)

Tyler was sitting at his kitchen table, reading the morning paper.

Ashley came storming out of the bedroom with a light-black shirt top in her hand.

She stomped across the kitchen and slammed the shirt onto the table.

"What the hell is this?!" exclaimed Ashley.

Tyler dropped the paper onto the table to look at the shirt.

"It's a T-shirt." said Tyler.

"Not the shirt!! What the hell is this!?!?!" exclaimed Ashley loudly.

She violently grabbed the shirt, and held the collar up to his face, revealing a kiss of light blue lipstick.

"Who the hell are you seeing!?! You're sleeping with someone aren't you?!" shouted Ashley with tears in her eyes.

"I..." began Tyler.

(Clang!)

Ashley wanged him over the head with a crescent wrench.

"Lies!" exclaimed Ashley.

(End Flashback)

"You wish you had a relationship like mine? ...No you don't..." muttered Tyler.

_'I feel like I just missed a flashback or something...' _thought Bryant.

_'Of course, we did make up...'_ thought Tyler.

(Re-Flashback)

Tyler reached out and gently grabbed her lips and held them shut.

"(Sigh) Ashley. Honey. First of all, this is your lipstick. I know it is because you are still wearing the exact same lipstick. Second of all, this is YOUR shirt, and I have no idea how your own lipstick got on there." said Tyler.

"And finally, when have I EVER given you any reason to think that I want to end this relationship?" asked Tyler.

Ashley stood in shock for a moment before tears formed in her eyes.

"Oh Tyler I'm sorry!" exclaimed Ashley.

She went to hug him. but he quickly stood up.

"It's alright... We'll talk about it later, right now, I gotta go to work." said Tyler.

Tyler disappeared, leaving Ashley standing in the kitchen.

"(Sigh) I need to stop being so paranoid about him..." said Ashley.

Tyler left for work like usual, and arrived on time at his office as usual.

_'Not many people are here... Something must be going on...'_ thought Tyler.

He walked past various desks and file rooms before finally getting to his office room.

It was circular, with only one desk.

_'Gawd... I really need to do something to this room to make it look better...'_ thought Tyler.

"Okaaay... What do we have here?" asked Tyler.

He walked across the room to see a piece of paper laying on his desk.

--

Dear Tyler-sama, have a good day.

Please remember to check mission specs.

--

"Hm. Mission specs." muttered Tyler.

"..."

"What was I doing?" asked Tyler.

"Hm..." mumbled Tyler.

Tyler picked up his mission specs from the other side of the table, and opened the file to read it.

"File personal return... blah blah blah... ensure safety precautions are met... blah blah blah... Set relations with another country." muttered Tyler.

"Hm. What does relations mean?" asked Tyler.

_'Checking databases...'_ thought Tyler.

Tyler searched his mind for any definitions of relations.

"Hm. Meaning One: Sexual intercourse: The act of sexual procreation between a man and a woman; the man's penis is inserted into the woman's vagina and excited until orgasm and ejaculation occur... Hm. Well hopefully that isn't the right definition..." muttered Tyler.

"Definition 2: Mutual dealings or connections or communications among persons or groups... Yeah that seems right." muttered Tyler.

"But that's going to be really hard... That will take months. Especially now-a-days... Well, I'd better get going." said Tyler.

He already had everything he needed.

Treaty parchment and feet to walk with.

"Okay, I'm not forgetting anything, so I guess I'll just go." said Tyler.

Tyler shunshined out, leaving his village for a bold new mission.

(End Re-Flashback)

_'I really should have told her I was leaving... For several months...' thought Tyler sheepishly.  
_

_'...'_

_'God I'm a jerk...' _thought Tyler with a sigh.

He looked up to see that Bryant had been watching him think.

"Is Ashley still mad at you?" asked Bryant.

"Well, I wouldn't blame her if she was... But no. We made out... Up! I mean up. We made up." said Tyler.

"A little bit of both?" asked Bryant suggestively.

"..."

"Don't you have something to do?" asked Tyler.

"Yeah actually I do. I had better get going." said Bryant.

Bryant reached under the counter, and threw on a backpack bigger than himself.

"Well, I'll see you when I see you." said Bryant.

"What about your shop? And this bar?" asked Tyler.

"What about them?" asked Bryant.

"Who is going to run them?" asked Tyler.

"Don't worry... I got someone." said Bryant mysteriously.

* * *

Meanwhile at Seiler's shop:

Hanabi sat at the counter, looking at the owner's manual that Bryant had made for her.

It was titled: "Here. Read It. Run It."

"..."

Hanabi opened and turned to the first page.

"What is a... grill?" asked Hanabi in confusion.

* * *

"I'm sure she'll do fine..." said Bryant.

"Alright man, whatever you say." said Tyler.

_'3... 2... 1...'_ thought Bryant.

"What was it that you just said?" asked Tyler.

"(Sigh) I'll see you later dude." said Bryant.

* * *

The sun was just about set, still providing enough sunshine to see without lighting the campfire.

Kakashi casually strolled back into the camp, and Sasuke immediately snapped his attention to him.

_'I followed them and listened to them... But what they talked about was very... embarrassing. It had nothing to do with Itachi at all... Maybe I should really trust them... Maybe Itachi has nothing to do with this...' _thought Sasuke.

Kakashi walked past the two tents on the right side of the camp, and sat down opposite of Naruto and Hinata.

Anko came out of her tent, and closed the flap behind her.

"Well, that's done and out of the way." said Anko contently.

She sat down next to Kakashi, followed by Yamato.

"Well, I'm glad that's done. Now all that's left to do is relax." said Yamato as he sat and relaxed.

Kakashi: (Alright, look at everybody. Does anyone look turned on?)

Anko: (Um...)

Just then, Neji and Ten Ten came out of their tent, both of their faces were blushed red.

Neji held Ten Ten's hand, and led her to a log to sit down.

They both sat down, and Ten Ten immediately leaned against him, whispering something into his ear.

Neji blushed and kissed her on the cheek.

"..."

Anko: (I vote Neji and Ten Ten.)

Kakashi: (Yes. It looks that way.)

Yamato: (Now that we know who it is, what should we do?)

Kakashi: (Well, it looks like they both already had releases. So it looks like its already taken care of. Worst case scenario is that they have sex again.)

Anko: (Big Whoop. They ARE a couple. And they have their own tent.)

Yamato: (Right. As long as it's under control between the two of them.)

"Well, now that my mind is at ease, I think I'm going to take a nap." said Anko.

Anko took off her tan coat, leaving nothing but her fishnet and thin T-shirt.

Anko walked past Kakashi, and Kakashi's cheeks flushed red.

She walked just outside of the campfire ring, and laid down on her back in the grass to nap.

Kakashi watched Anko's breasts rise up and down as she calmly breathed in and out.

"I think I'm going to watch Anko sleep." said Kakashi.

"..."

"Kakashi sempai, that's weird, and it's a total disregard of her privacy." said Yamato.

"Yeah well, it's her fault for wearing nothing but a fishnet all of the time." said Kakashi.

"I still think its wrong. What do you think Naruto?" asked Yamato.

"..."

"Naruto?" asked Yamato.

Hinata was barely touching him with her hip, and Naruto was going crazy.

He could easily imagine Hinata's figure underneath her jacket.

Her chest rising quickly up and down, her face blushing deeply, and her breathing becoming irregular.

_'N-Naruto... He... his body is so hot... everything is so hot... oh...'_ thought Hinata with a very deep blush.

_'I'm going insane... Her body... it's so attractive... so hot... I'm sweating so much and I'm just sitting here...' _thought Naruto.

"Naruto? Naruto are you okay?" asked Yamato.

Kakashi turned his attention to Naruto to look at him a bit better.

Naruto couldn't help it. He was practically dying to catch glances at Hinata without her noticing.

_'Her lips are so moist... I can just imagine kissing them... sucking on them... God...' _thought Naruto amorously.

He wanted his hands on her hips so bad he was clenching and un-clenching his hands just to cope.

_'His arms around me... holding me tightly... kissing me passionately... Oh God...'_ thought Hinata amorously.

They both just sat next to each other, working up a sweat while breathing quickly.

"Naruto? Did you by chance eat any of my chocolate?" asked Kakashi.

There was no response from Naruto.

The only thing Naruto could hear was Hinata's breathing.

_'She's breathing just like me... Is she thinking the same things I am?'_ thought Naruto quickly.

His heart was pounding, her heart was pounding.

Their emotional stability was the only thing holding them to their seats.

_'N-Naruto.. Naruto... Oh God Naruto...'_ thought Hinata amorously.

_'Her soft skin... her caring eyes... her plush lips... her beautiful figure...' _thought Naruto.

_'His strong arms... His gentle hands... his amazing eyes...' _thought Hinata.

_'I can't take it... Will she hate me if I do it? Will she leave me for doing something so insensitive?' _thought Naruto.

_'Will he think I'm dirty? Will it ruin my chances to be with him?'_ thought Hinata.

Naruto and Hinata were both harshly clenching their hands at their sides. Their faces were completely red, and they looked as though they were about to explode.

"..."

"Naruto?" asked Kakashi.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!" shouted Naruto and Hinata.

They both practically slammed into each other, kissing each other as passionately as possible.

'He's kissing me!!!' thought Hinata.

'She's kissing me!!!' thought Naruto.

But their thoughts were soon clouded with a very heavy ecstasy.

They moved across the campfire ring, their hands groping wildly all over each other's bodies in a rushed manner.

Yamato Kakashi and Neji just stared in disbelief at what was happening.

They eventually tripped over Neji and Ten Ten's log, falling over it and landing on Anko.

"(Yawn)... Wha... Oh my God! What the fuck?!" exclaimed Anko in surprise.

She pulled herself out from under them, and jumped behind Kakashi.

"What the hell is going on?!" exclaimed Anko in shock.

They continued to grope each other, deepening and deepening the kiss as they went on.

Suddenly Hinata pulled away from Naruto and looked him the eye.

"N-Naruto! I... I... I LOVE YOU!!" exclaimed Hinata breathlessly.

She did it. She finally said it! Her heart was already pounding from the action, but now she had to wait for Naruto to respond. She had to wait for what Naruto would say in response. Would he say yes and make her dreams come true, or would he say no and stomp her dreams to dust?

"Hinata... I love you too. More than anything in the entire world..." said Naruto breathlessly.

Hinata's eyes widened in shock.

Naruto moved his hands to her waist, and caressed her figure up and down passionately.

"Oh God Hinata... I'm so turned on... I... I'm sorry but I can't take it anymore!" exclaimed Naruto.

Hinata was still too shocked to move. Naruto had just told her that he loved her more than anything in the world.

She was speechless, but her mind was wildly conflicted between shock and ecstasy.

Before she could respond in any way, she froze, then fell to unconsciousness.

Before Naruto could figure out what was going on, he felt a sharp pain in his neck before he also drifted into unconsciousness.

The first thing Kakashi saw was a red dart sticking into Naruto's neck, and Hinata's right arm.

Kakashi looked over to see see Neji with a blowpipe still aimed towards Naruto and Hinata.

Neji quickly tucked the pipe away, and gently set down a sleeping Ten Ten.

He walked over to Naruto and picked him up, moving him to the other side of the camp.

He dropped him onto the grass, and then he went back to get Hinata.

"Wow... What all just happened?" muttered Yamato in surprise.

"Can someone tell me why I awoke to two people getting it on... on me?!" exclaimed Anko.

"Naruto and Hinata must have eaten my chocolate. Not Neji and Ten Ten." said Kakashi.

"What chocolate?" asked Neji.

Neji had laid Hinata down on the ground next to Ten Ten, and was looking at Kakashi.

"There was some chocolate in my bag, loaded with aphrodisiac. Naruto and Hinata must have eaten them all. Which explained why they acted in such a way." said Kakashi.

"Okay, that makes sense and all, but I guess I'll be the first one to ask...Why did Neji shoot them with tranquilizer darts?" asked Yamato.

"I made a promise to Hiashi. A promise that I would protect Hinata. And that includes her virginity." said Neji simply.

"...Okay wow." said Anko.

"I promised. And I intend to keep that promise. Hiashi-sama trusts me... And I trust Naruto. I know that Naruto is not a bad person... But I have to do what is necessary to keep my promise." said Neji.

"..."

"I'm still shocked by how dirty Hinata just acted..." said Yamato.

"I'm still mentally scarred from the first time, please don't talk about that." said Neji with a shiver.

"First time?" asked Anko.

"Do you really think it's any of your business?" asked Neji.

"...If I say yes, will you tell me?" asked Anko.

"No." said Neji.

Anko stuck her tongue out at him.

Neji ignored her and laid his head down on Ten Ten's lap.

"Well, when they awake, Naruto will be on one side of the camp, and Hinata will be on the other. And I intend to keep it that way." said Neji.

Neji closed his eyes and rested his head against Ten Ten's warm stomach.

Anko, Kakashi and Yamato all looked at each other.

Kakashi: (Should we tell him that Naruto and Hinata share a tent together?)

Anko: (No. He's a fat jerk with no life. Let him find out on his own.)

Yamato: (Even if we did tell him, what are the chances of us being able to separate Naruto from Hinata?)

Kakashi: (Well, on the way here, Naruto almost bit Itachi's head off for looking at her...)

"..."

Anko: (I vote we say nothing...)

Yamato: (Agreed.)

Kakashi: (Indeed.)

Anko looked at Neji and Ten Ten and snickered a little.

Neji heard Anko snickering and opened his eyes

Kakashi: (What? Something funny?)

Yamato: (Anko?)

Anko: (I just got a great idea.)

Kakashi: (Let's hear it.)

Anko: (We should draw on Ten Ten's face with a marker.)

Neji: (If you do, I'll snap your neck)

"..."

"Didn't know you knew sign language." said Anko.

"Well I'm a Jounin, of course I know it." said Neji.

"Oh yeah. I keep forgetting. It's kind of hard to picture you as a Jounin. Maybe it's because with your long hair, you look like a girl. And with your pale eyes, you look like you're blind." said Anko.

Neji's face flushed red with irritation.

"I don't know about you, but a blind girl in a bathrobe just doesn't seem intimidating." said Anko with a smirk.

"Don't let her bug you... She's just cranky because she hasn't had sex in... ever." mumbled Ten Ten.

Ten Ten didn't even bother to open her eyes, she was only half-awake.

Anko was furiously clenching her fists and teeth, glaring meanly at Ten Ten.

But Neji was glaring right back.

As the angry emotions were shared between the two, one Uchiha woke up, sensing the turmoil in the air.

_'What's going on?' _thought Sasuke.

"Just drop it Anko." said Kakashi.

"I'll drop something..." grumbled Anko.

"Hopefully not her pants..." whispered Yamato to Kakashi.

"Actually I was hoping she was talking about her pants." whispered Kakashi pervertedly.

"(Sigh) Sempai... I think you are developing a fetish for Anko..." whispered Yamato.

_'Hm?'_ thought Anko.

She didn't know what they were saying, but whatever it was, it seemed secretive.

_'What are they all whispering about? I need to get closer'_ thought Sasuke.

He casually walked into the circle of logs, and took a seat next to Anko.

_'What does he want?'_ thought Anko irritatedly.

Anko turned and looked at Sasuke expectantly.

_'What does she want?'_ thought Sasuke irritatedly.

(Glare)

(Glare)

"I suddenly feel like sitting next to Kakashi." said Anko.

She got up from next to Sasuke, and plopped herself down next to him in a pouty manner.

_'Anko?'_ thought Kakashi.

"What the hell is that kid's problem?" whispered Anko.

"That's Sasuke for you... He can come off as a prick, but he's really just bothered by certain types of people." whispered Kakashi.

_'I still can't hear what they are saying...'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke watched as Anko, Yamato, and Kakashi continued to whisper to each other.

Sasuke shook his head.

_'This is crazy! I'm going to drive myself mad over this! Kakashi was right. I have to trust them more if I want them to trust me.' _thought Sasuke.

Sasuke sat down on the ground, and leaned himself against the log.

He crossed his legs and got himself comfortable.

_'I should just take a nap like everybody else... I should trust them... But what Yasu said is still running through my mind...' _thought Sasuke.

(Flashback)

__

"We will have to sit and talk another time, I'll try and get in touch soon to see if I can schedule... a family get-together." said Sasuke with a faint smile.

Yasu smiled in return.

"Okay, but it may be in a while, Itachi told me that he is going on a mission with a team to the Land of Snow for a short mission, but it will be at least two weeks before he gets back." said Yasu as she got up from the couch.

"It's nice to finally meet you Sasuke." said Yasu.

Yasu missed the look of shock on Sasuke's face.

(End Flashback)

_'Itachi is going to the Land of Snow...'_ thought Sasuke.

_'But that doesn't matter right now. I need to get my mind set straight. Starting with Naruto...'_ thought Sasuke.

He looked at Naruto, who was still laying unconscious on the ground.

_'Naruto... He was always there. Even though he was annoying at times, he always cared. He never gave up on me, and he even fought himself near to death just to bring me back to the village. He didn't want me to go to Orochimaru, because Naruto knew that I might get killed or used until I died.'_ thought Sasuke.

Naruto was important to him. That much he could tell. He was like a family member.

_'Alright Naruto is set straight in my mind... He is family. Kakashi too. Although he would be more of an uncle to me... But either way, Naruto and Kakashi are family to me. That is that.'_ thought Sasuke.

But Sakura was a different story.

_'Sakura... her name brings me nothing but confusion... and many other mixed emotions...'_ thought Sasuke.

He felt grief and sorrow from knowing he had left her. He felt anger towards himself for leaving in the first place. And he also felt uncomfortable, anxious, and... another emotion he was still identifying.

_'When I think about her, it is unpleasant because of the grief, but at the same time, it is wonderful yet scary because of this other emotion...'_ thought Sasuke.

He looked over to the leaders, who were still whispering amongst each other.

_'If I can get Kakashi alone, with no mission, or any strings attached... Maybe I can ask him about it... But for now, I am actually really tired...'_ thought Sasuke.

His eyelids were only half-open, and they were threatening to keep closed every time he blinked.

He finally let himself drift into sleep, and the Jounin Leaders took notice.

"Alright, the kitlings are all asleep now." said Yamato.

"Kitlings?" asked Anko.

Before Yamato could answer, they heard a rummaging noise from the ground.

The noise was coming from Naruto.

Suddenly Naruto's body moved across the ground and hit the campfire, knocking over some of the wood that was already piled in the pit.

"Naruto?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto's body moved again, but this time it moved towards Hinata's unconscious body.

Naruto's head hit Hinata's hip, but his back moved in between two logs and unattached itself from Naruto.

The bag hopped itself up onto a log, and a weasel came out of the bag with pinwheel in its mouth.

It hopped down onto the ground and stuck the pinwheel into the ground.

The pinwheel faded for a moment before changing into the form of Kurenai Yuhi.

"Finally, I thought he would never fall asleep." said Kurenai in relief.

The weasel paused for a moment, studying Sasuke.

After a moment, the weasel morphed into the form of an S class Akatsuki member.

Itachi immediately turned towards Kakashi and stepped up in front of him.

"Kakashi. What is the meaning of this?" asked Itachi.

"The meaning of what?" asked Kakashi.

"The meaning of you taking Sasuke along with us. It's obvious that a conflict would arise from this situation." said Itachi.

"Sasuke suddenly showed up. If we immediately showed that we didn't want him there, then he would have immediately been suspicious. We had to offer him to come along." said Kakashi.

"There were other alternatives." said Itachi.

"Yeah well this is the way it turned out, so stop complaining and just relax." said Anko.

"Relax? My brother who wants to kill me is sleeping a few feet away. How can I relax?" asked Itachi.

"Well, It looks as though you'll have to resort to using your weasel form for the rest of the trip... At least until you come up with a better plan." said Kakashi.

Kakashi was right. What was done was done. The only thing to do would be to learn how to deal with the situation.

"Fine." said Itachi.

Itachi morphed back into his weasel form and crawled up against Neji and Ten Ten's log.

He laid down on his back with his paws in the air, and he closed his eyes to take a nap.

_'Sasuke... This is becoming too dangerous... I thought that I would at least have a few more weeks before I would have to tell him, but now it seems as though my hand is being forced. I have to tell him sooner rather than later...' _thought Itachi.

* * *

It was dark. The leaves in the trees were calm and barely made any movements.

The sky was clear and there was no sign of any bad weather.

These conditions would only make it more enticing for them to take a break and sleep.

They had been traveling for hours and hours, and they had reached their limit.

Gai knew this.

He knew that they would have to stop. The constant traveling was wearing down on everyone.

"Alright, we'll stop and rest here for the night." said Gai.

Everyone fell down to the ground and quickly as they could so that they could lay down on the ground.

(Plop)

"Oh... It feels so good to lay down..." mumbled Ino.

(Plop)

"Yeah..." agreed Sakura.

Kiba and Akamaru landed on the ground, and Akamaru immediately fell asleep.

Kiba smiled at Akamaru before looking up to Houkou.

"Here you go." said Kiba.

Kiba let Houkou off onto the ground.

Before Houkou could say thank you, Kiba leaned in a licked Houkou on the cheek.

She blushed and went to lick him back.

(Plop)

But he was already asleep on the floor.

Sakura and Ino looked at each other again.

Both sharing uncomfortable expressions.

Gaara walked up between them and kneeled down.

"Just talk to her." said Gaara simply.

Before they could say anything in response to him, Gaara walked over to a tree by Gai to sit down against.

They looked at each other and nodded.

"Hey... Houkou." said Sakura.

Houkou had just finished sitting Kiba up against a tree, and she was surprised to hear her name called.

Usually Kiba was the only one to talk to her aside from commanding officers.

"Yeah Sakura?" asked Houkou.

"Do you have a second?" asked Ino.

Houkou blinked at them.

"Yeah sure." said Houkou.

Houkou walked over to them and sat down while Sakura and Ino got themselves into sitting positions as well.

"We want to talk to you about... you and Kiba." said Sakura.

Houkou blushed and looked at the ground.

"What about me and Kiba?" asked Houkou.

"Well... We are kind of uncomfortable about you two... um..." began Sakura.

As Sakura paused, Houkou realized that this was about Sakura and Ino not liking her and Kiba's relationship.

"You two what?" asked Houkou defensively.

"Well..." began Sakura again.

"When you two licked each other." said Ino finally.

Houkou blinked.

"Huh?" asked Houkou in confusion.

"It made us uncomfortable when we saw you do something like that. We don't want to seem like jerks, but we just wanted to let you know that it made us feel uncomfortable." said Sakura.

Houkou blinked again.

"Kissing couples make you feel uncomfortable?" asked Houkou.

"Kissing? That wasn't kissing, that was very sexual." said Ino uncomfortably.

"What are you talking about? Of course it was just kissing!" exclaimed Houkou in a huffy manner.

"I think there is a misunderstanding here." said Lee.

They looked up to see Lee standing over them.

"A misunderstanding? There's no misunderstanding. She licked her boyfriend in front of us, and seeing such passionate actions made us feel uncomfortable." said Ino.

"Yes. There is a misunderstanding, and a simple one at that. You are disregarding Kiba and Houkou's upbringing." said Lee knowingly.

"Our upbringing?" asked Houkou.

"What about their upbringing?" asked Sakura in confusion.

"Well yes. Kiba is from the Inuzuka clan, while Houkou is from a similar clan in the Land of Lightning." said Lee.

"So? What does that have to do with them licking each other?!" exclaimed Ino.

"Please. Just listen. I have been told by Gai-sensei that both Houkou and Kiba are from families that share certain similar genetic breeding patterns." said Lee.

"...They do?" asked Ino.

"Well yes, both families have canine DNA breed into their own DNA." said Lee.

"...Well this is nice to know and all, but what does it have to do with anything?" asked Sakura.

Lee blushed a bit and looked at the ground.

"Well..." began Lee.

"I still don't see what the big deal is! We were just kissing!" exclaimed Houkou.

"Exactly!" exclaimed Lee.

Sakura and Ino looked at him incredulously.

"What?! How can you agree on that?! Licking isn't kissing!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Yes it is!" exclaimed Houkou.

"To Canines it is! That's is exactly what I've been trying to say!" exclaimed Lee.

"To canines?" asked Ino.

"Well yes. To dogs, licking each other in the face would be a kiss. So when Kiba, who is part canine, and Houkou, who is also part canine, lick each other in the face..." began Lee.

"Oh! To them licking IS kissing!" exclaimed Ino.

"I've always known licking to be a form of affection in that way... That's why I was confused we you got angry at me." said Houkou.

"We're sorry Houkou. We didn't realize what licking meant to you two." said Sakura with an embarrassed blush.

"But you understand why we got uncomfortable right?" asked Ino.

"Actually no... I still don't know what that's all about, but I suppose we can be a bit more subtle..." said Houkou with a blush.

"I am glad that this dispute is solved. If you will all excuse me, I am going to go and prepare for sleep." said Lee.

Lee walked over by Gaara and Gai, and began unpacking provisions with them.

Gai and Lee kept a good four yards away from where Gaara was setting up.

"..."

"What?" asked Gaara.

Gai and Lee just kept unpacking.

"I'm not going to bite." said Gaara.

"It's not your bite I'm worried about..." began Lee.

(Smack)

"Lee! Have some manners." said Gai.

"Gomen Gai-sensei..." said Lee.

Houkou, Ino, and Sakura were left alone in their group.

"Now that Lee is gone, we want to talk about something else that has been bothering us. And this one we REALLY don't want to talk about because it's so personal." said Sakura.

"(Sigh) Whatever it is, let's just get it over with." said Houkou.

"Okay fine. I'll just say it straight out. We think you're acting like a whore." said Ino.

Houkou was shocked.

She didn't know whether to be enraged or in tears for someone to call her something like that.

"I-Ino! Don't say it like that! You aren't a whore Houkou, that is a terrible thing to say and that's not what we mean." assured Sakura.

"It seems like every other minute you are all over Kiba. It's like you are a mega pervert and you're portraying the fairer sex as a bunch of sluts." said Ino harshly.

"Wh-what?!" exclaimed Houkou.

Houkou was almost speechless, but she did have something to say to them.

"Ino! She isn't a slut! She's only with one guy! Well... it's really mean the way she said it, but that's basically what is bothering us..." said Sakura.

"It's the same issue as before, we don't care if you do it... But if you do, could you please be more subtle and private about it?" asked Sakura.

Houkou studied them for a moment, then looked down at her lap in embarrassment.

"It's um... I'm not doing it on purpose... It's not my fault..." began Houkou.

"What do mean it's not your fault? You're doing all of that slutty stuff on you own!" exclaimed Ino.

"Ino!" exclaimed Sakura.

"P-please let me explain... It has to do with what Lee was talking about before..." muttered Houkou with a blush.

"Your upbringing? You're parents taught you to be slutty!?" exclaimed Ino.

"Ino! Quit it!" exclaimed Sakura.

"N-no! Not my upbringing... but my DNA..." said Houkou in embarrassment.

"Okay... What about you're DNA?" asked Ino.

"Well... I'm part dog... and I um... you see.... once a year we... I... um..." stuttered Houkou.

Her cheeks were red in embarrassment. She just couldn't get out what she needed to say.

"What? What is it? Spit it out already!" exclaimed Ino.

"I'm in heat! I'm in heat okay!?" exclaimed Houkou.

Ino and Sakura's eyes widened and their faces flushed in a deep embarrassment.

"Once a year, the females of my kind go into heat. We can barely control ourselves! We're not sluts or whores! It's how our species is designed to reproduce alright?! My period of heat is almost over, so you won't have to worry about for very much longer..." said Houkou.

Houkou felt hurt, but in a way, she couldn't blame them for feeling the way they did.

Even she didn't like the way she constantly acted as of late, especially after that embarrassing talk with Tsunade and the others.

Sakura and Ino were speechless. They didn't know that a person could go into heat like a dog. But then again, Houkou wasn't just a person, she also had canine blood. So it did make sense.

Houkou got up from the ground.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to go lay down by Kiba." said Houkou.

Houkou walked back to Kiba, and sat down, cuddling up against him.

Ino and Sakura just wanted to let Houkou know that they were uncomfortable with her behavior, but now they felt like royal heels.

Gaara walked up behind them and kneeled down again.

"You two are supposed to be ninja, try and analyze a situation a bit more before you just burst in." said Gaara.

Lee walked up and and offered a hand to Sakura.

"Gaara is right. I hate to say it Ino-chan, but I think you were being insensitive. Neither of you should have been so rude or uppity about it." said Lee.

Ino looked down at her lap guiltily.

"We have already set up sleeping bags. We have yours ready for you. Come on Sakura-chan." said Lee with a smile.

Lee still held his hand out to Sakura, and Gaara held his hand out to Ino.

Sakura nodded and took Lee's hand and he helped her over to her sleeping bag.

"..."

Gaara still stood over Ino with his hand outstretched.

Ino hesitated at first, but finally took Gaara's hand.

Gaara immediately swung her into the air.

"Gah!" exclaimed Ino.

She closed her eyes on the swing, but when she opened her eyes, she was sitting on a floating bed of sand.

"...Oh." muttered Ino in embarrassment.

Gaara's sand bed moved through the air and slid her down onto her sleeping bag.

"Thank you Gaara." said Ino.

Gaara blinked at her in confusion.

He said nothing and walked back over to his tree to sit down.

_'What was that all about?'_ thought Ino.

She didn't really want to think about it. She was really tired, and she was already on a sleeping bag.

_'Sleep first...'_ thought Ino.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

Read and Review! Please!

* * *


	37. Emotional Relief

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 37:**_

_**Emotional Relief**_

_**

* * *

**_

The light of the campfire danced around the camp, providing light and heat for their night in the forest.

_'It's time for supper, but Naruto still hasn't woken up yet...'_ thought Neji.

Neji looked down at Naruto.

Naruto was still unconscious next to the log that Itachi had drug him to in order to get out of his backpack.

Neji and Ten Ten were sitting on their own log, while Kurenai, Kakashi, Anko, and Yamato shared another log to the left of it.

Sasuke was napping by himself against his own log, while Hinata was knelt down in front of him, tending to the pot and frying pan that she had over the fire.

She stirred the fish around in the pan, added butter, then flipped the fish with a toss of the pan.

_'N-Naruto...'_ thought Hinata with a blush.

Nobody had talked to Hinata the entire time she had been awake.

She didn't make eye contact with anyone or anything but her pot or pan.

_'Sher hasn't said anything since she first woke... Of course, the first time she was awake was only for a few seconds.'_ thought Neji.

(Flashback)

Neji and Ten Ten were sitting on their log comfortably, enjoying the setting sun.

For once Neji was quite comfortable.

Ten Ten was snuggled up against his chest, looking up at Neji's face with a smile.

"..."

"Ten Ten..." said Neji.

"Hm?" asked Ten Ten cutely.

"What is it?" asked Neji.

"Nothin..." said Ten Ten playfully.

"..."

Ten Ten continued to stare up at him.

"Tenny... Please. What is it?" asked Neji.

"(Giggle) It's nothing. I'm just glad to be with you." said Ten Ten with a smile.

Neji blushed slightly and smiled, hugging her a bit tighter.

"This has been nice." said Neji.

Ten Ten hugged him back.

"I'm glad." said Ten Ten.

They enjoyed the moment, but there was suddenly some movement near their feet.

_'She's waking up...' _thought Neji.

Hinata got up from ground slowly and drowsily.

"Mmmmnnnnn..." muttered Hinata.

She was on her hands and knees, looking at the ground.

"Hinata?" asked Neji.

He was worried about Hinata, she had been through some unexpected things, and he wanted to know if she was okay.

She slightly sat up and immediately focused her vision on a backpack on the floor.

_'This is...'_ thought Hinata.

She knew which person the backpack belonged to.

It was the same person that was just making out with her in the hottest, steamiest, and sexiest groping session she had ever experienced.

Her eyes made contact with the orange ninja who was attached to the backpack.

Hinata's face immediately turned stark red and she fell unconscious to the ground.

"Hinata?!" exclaimed Neji.

Ten Ten and Neji landed next to her and flipped her over.

Neji closed his eyes and blushed when he saw her face.

"Ten Ten, can you please clean up her nosebleed?" asked Neji.

Neji walked back to the log and sat down, trying to gather himself.

_'How am I going to deal with this? How am I going to be able to keep those two apart? She is so deeply in love with Naruto that she faints when she thinks about him...'_ thought Neji.

"..."

_'Well, I can think of it this way, if she faints every time she thinks about him, then it's impossible for them to have sex... Unless Naruto is into doing unconscious women.'_ thought Neji.

The thought wasn't very satisfying to hinder his worrying, and Ten Ten noticed his worry.

"I'm sure everything will be fine. As soon as she wakes up again, I'll have a little talk with her." said Ten Ten.

(End Flashback)

_'Hinata got up 30 minutes ago with a look of determination on her face. Before anyone could say anything, she began cooking everyone supper.'_ thought Neji.

"Ten, you said you were going to give her a little talk." whispered Neji.

"I was, but the second time she got up, she didn't faint. So I assumed that she was alright." whispered Ten Ten.

"Hm..." muttered Neji.

He knew that when Naruto awoke, the living kitsune cage would immediately hone his attention on Hinata.

_'After that... passionate encounter, Naruto and Hinata will be attracted to each other like super magnets. What can I do?'_ thought Neji.

As Neji thought more about it, there was more stirring in the camp.

On the other side of the campfire, Sasuke had just woken up.

"Hm." muttered Sasuke.

He opened his eyes to see Hinata bent over in front of him.

"..."

_'Awkward...'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke casually slipped himself back up onto his log and turned his attention elsewhere.

He didn't go unnoticed.

_'Oh yeah Sasuke, Incognito...'_ thought Anko sarcastically.

"You liked that didn't you?" asked Anko with a wry smile.

"...You do know that we are distantly related... right?" asked Sasuke.

"Hm?" asked Anko in confusion.

"That means no." said Kakashi.

Anko blinked then nodded to Kakashi.

"Kay..." said Anko.

"(sigh)" _'She is being really...'_ thought Sasuke.

He stopped thinking and blinked in surprise.

There was another person in the camp, one he hadn't seen yet.

He didn't think that what he saw was real at first.

But she had to be real, she was sitting right next to Kakashi.

_'When did Kurenai get here?' _thought Sasuke.

He continued to watch her, wondering when she had arrived and why.

Kurenai was sitting next to Kakashi, and wasn't paying very much attention to anything but Kakashi.

_'What should I do? Kakashi is right here... Maybe I should just move on and pretend like nothing ever happened... After all our relationship lasted less than a day... Or maybe I should try it again... Maybe I was too infatuated to really see what was going on between us...' thought Kurenai._

She looked over at Kakashi in curiosity, only to see that he was paying a lot of his attention to the ground.

She looked in the direction he was looking, and she figured out what he was paying so much attention to.

Kakashi was watching Naruto.

But he wasn't watching him defensively, he was watching him out of concern, like a father would.

_'He does seem to have a fatherly side to him... Maybe being with Kakashi isn't such a bad idea...'_ thought Kurenai.

Kakashi then looked down to his jacket, lifted the right side, and pulled out Icha Icha Volume two.

"(Sigh)"

_'Or maybe it is a bad idea... Maybe I should just stop thinking about it, I don't need to dwell on this now...'_ thought Kurenai.

Kurenai emptied her mind, allowing herself to only think about the positives.

Somehow, putting it aside made her feel a lot better about the whole thing.

_'Kakashi was the first man I ever gave a chance... so it isn't the end of the world... But then again, there was one other that had an interest in me...'_ thought Kurenai.

(Flashback)

It was in the late morning, and she was standing outside her apartment which sat on the second floor.

She had just finished watering her flowers which sat in her home flowerbed on her window sill.

_'There. All done.' _thought Kurenai.

Her flowers were looking very healthy, and they were even beginning to bud a little.

_'I bet they smell good now.'_ thought Kurenai.

She leaned forward to sniff the flowers, but she dropped her watering can over the edge of her flowerbed, and it landed outside of her apartment on the deck that surrounded the complex.

"(Sigh) Now I have to go get it." muttered Kurenai.

She opened her door and walked outside onto the wood deck that overlooked a large part of the city.

_'Konoha always looks so beautiful and full of life.'_ thought Kurenai.

She turned and looked where her watering can was, but now in its place there were two feet.

She looked up to see Asuma Sarutobi attached to the feet.

He was a long-time friend and comrade, someone who she had known for a long time.

"Hello Kurenai..." said Asuma nervously.

_'There it is again. He's acting strangely, yet again...'_ thought Kurenai.

"Asuma, is there something wrong with you?" asked Kurenai.

"Huh? W-wha(ahem) Whatever do you mean?" said Asuma anxiously.

"Don't lie to me Asuma. You have been acting very strangely ever since you carried me home from that mission three whole months ago." said Kurenai.

"Well you see I... Well it's like this..." began Asuma.

He was very nervous, and was fiddling with his hands a lot.

"..."

"Well? Aren't you going to say anything? Honestly if you're going to take up my time, you might as well..." began Kurenai.

"Would you like to go to dinner?!" exclaimed Asuma quickly.

Kurenai's expression quickly changed to surprised.

"W-what?" asked Kurenai.

"Would you... allow me to take you to dinner?" asked Asuma.

"A-Asuma..." exclaimed Kurenai quietly.

_'That's what this is all about? He wanted to ask me out?'_ thought Kurenai.

Kurenai blushed and became a bit flustered.

"Well um... I um..." began Kurenai.

_'I never thought that he... Um... Asuma... I... I don't what to say...'_ thought Kurenai in a nervous fluster.

Asuma immediately took her faltering as a sign of her trying to let him down lightly.

"I understand. Gomen. I shouldn't have said anything..." said Asuma quickly.

Asuma disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Wait!" exclaimed Kurenai.

He was already gone, all that was left was her watering can that he used for the substitution.

_'Asuma...'_ thought Kurenai with a blush.

(End Flashback)

As she watched Kakashi out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that his eyes widened, only if slightly.

Kurenai looked where Kakashi was looking to see that Naruto was stirring a bit.

"Everyone, Naruto." said Kakashi quietly.

Everyone tensed up a bit, and turned their attention on Naruto.

Hinata was frozen in place, staring at the simmering food in front of her, and not turning to look at him.

_'N-N-N-N-N-N...'_ thought Hinata.

Her brain was completely out of it, she had to calm down before she could do anything.

Naruto stood up from the ground, facing away from the camp.

"Naruto?" asked Neji.

Naruto didn't respond, but he turned and walked over to Sasuke.

He stopped in front of him, and stared at his face.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"You are a bastard traitor. You need to make up with Sakura, and apologize. I'm sick of trying to make everything better with Sakura, and it will never be the same until you two get along again." mumbled Naruto.

Sasuke blinked at Naruto in surprise.

Suddenly Naruto turned to Sasuke and slapped him hard in the face, back-flipping him off of his seat backwards.

"En' Garde Baka." mumbled Naruto.

Sasuke got up from behind his log, with red in his eyes. But to his surprise, Naruto wasn't even there anymore.

He was walking around the campfire, away from him.

"What the hell was that about?!" exclaimed Sasuke angrily.

Kakashi held his hand up to Sasuke to quiet him.

"Naruto is still asleep, but his motor functions a performing as though he is awake. I have seen this before." said Kakashi.

"Where have you seen this before?" asked Neji.

"Hehe. One night, Jiraiya got REALLY drunk and... well... For the sake of everyone, lets just say that someone got naked, and there was public sex involved." said Kakashi.

"..."

Everyone was in a disgusted or surprised state, but Kurenai finally broke the silence.

"What does this behavior even mean? What's happening to Naruto?" asked Kurenai.

"It is a very unlikely glitch in the human mind. In this state, Naruto will speak or act in a way that is most deeply kept secret only to himself. This is because when the brain is left unattended without any relaying supervision from the host, the actions will default to what he truly wants to do, or what he truly wants to say. What he does depends on who or what he interacts with." said Kakashi.

Neji blinked at Kakashi.

"How could someone EVER come up with a correct explanation of an unknown event so quickly?" asked Neji in disbelief.

Everyone ignored Neji's disbelieving query when they noticed that Naruto had stopped walking around the fire.

Naruto stopped in front of Kurenai, and turned to face her, the expression on his face was blank.

"Kurenai, what Naruto does or says now will more than likely be something that he keeps secret from you. Whatever it is, it will not be censored by Naruto's mind so that it won't hurt your feelings. Whatever he says in this state will be absolutely true and from the bottom of his heart. It could be something minuscule, or something huge, based on how much he knows you, or how much you have affected him. Be prepared for anything, it could be very unexpected." warned Kakashi quickly.

Kurenai nodded and awaited for Naruto to do something.

"..."

"Well?" asked Kurenai.

"Your skirt thingy is too high. It seems slutty at times." mumbled Naruto.

Kurenai's mouth was hanging open in shock.

"I am glad that you taught Hinata, you treated her like she was your own daughter, and for that I am grateful." said Naruto.

Kurenai blinked in surprise.

She was going to slap him, but after that last part, she was emotionally conflicted between hugging and slapping him.

He stepped one person over to Kakashi.

'_Well Naruto, let's see what you think of me._' thought Kakashi.

"You are one of the only people I have ever considered to be a father figure, but you are also a perverted man who looks like a scarecrow." said Naruto.

"..."

Kakashi honestly didn't know what to say.

He stepped one over to Anko.

"You dress like a slut, you can be scary, and I have a sneaking suspicion that you are a masochist." said Naruto.

"..."

"What?! You little bastard!" exclaimed Anko.

She went to tackle Naruto, but Kakashi held her back by wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Anko relax." said Kakashi.

Anko struggled for a few more moments before she relaxed a bit in Kakashi's grasp.

Kakashi cautiously let her go.

Anko snorted in disgust and crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Fine! Hmph!" exclaimed Anko.

Anko sat back down on her seat just in time to see Naruto step in front of Yamato.

"Naruto?" asked Yamato.

"I greatly appreciate all the training and all of the help you have given me so far." said Naruto.

He paused for a moment.

"You're wood techniques are a gay joke waiting to happen." added Naruto.

"Yes... Yes they are." said Yamato.

He stepped over to Neji and Ten Ten.

He paused for a moment.

"Neji, if it wasn't for the fact that I'm sure you're a man, I would have mistaken you two for a lesbian couple. Neji, you should either cut your hair, or wear a shirt that says you're a dude." said Naruto.

Neji was appalled and Ten Ten was already patting his back to comfort him.

"It's alright hon. I love you just the way you are." said Ten Ten.

Neji smiled slightly, but was still miffed about it.

_'He's one to talk. He turns into a woman all of the time...'_ thought Neji spitefully.

"And Neji, never let Ten Ten convince you that pink is a manly color. You will probably never hear the end of it from me." said Naruto.

Ten Ten and Neji sweat-dropped.

Naruto stepped over one from Neji and Ten Ten to stand in front of the weasel that sat beside them on the log.

"You are actually a supposedly psycho-pathological antagonist, but you are actually Sasuke's br..." began Naruto.

The weasel quickly jumped up and bit Naruto's hand.

Naruto stopped talking and shook the weasel back and forth until Itachi finally let go.

Itachi flew through the air, and landed on Sasuke's log, right next to him.

The weasel merely blinked at Sasuke before they both looked back to Naruto.

"That is weird. Usually pain would wake the person out of this state. But he's still like that." muttered Kakashi while in deep thought.

Hinata was frozen next to the fire, kneeling towards it, and breathing deep. She was kind of pretending to cook, but was having a hard time of pretending when she couldn't barely move.

_'He's walking to me! I'm next!'_ thought Hinata hurriedly.

Naruto walked over to Hinata and knelt down close to her.

"..."

He said nothing, and just looked at her. His eyes were motionless but they seemed to be peering into her soul.

_'What is he going to say?! Kakashi said that whatever he says will be absolutely true and from the bottom of his heart! Will he call me ugly?! Will he tell me that he only kissed me because he felt sorry for me?!' _thought Hinata quickly.

She could feel his breathe tickle the skin on the right side of her neck.

_'Maybe it was just a kiss to him! Just a hot moment...'_ thought Hinata.

Her mind was racing, but her body was frozen. Her low self-esteem and paranoia were getting the best of her in her moment of sudden stress.

_'Well Naruto, what will you say?'_ thought Kakashi.

Naruto suddenly dove forward and tackled her to the ground in a kiss.

"Mnn!?" exclaimed Hinata in surprise.

Kakashi blinked in surprise.

Neji's mouth dropped.

"Woah." said Sasuke simply.

He began to kiss her deeply, letting his tongue caress her mouth while he massaged her sides and back.

"Oh my God!!" exclaimed Anko in surprise.

Naruto continued pleasuring Hinata, expressing his love through his kissing.

After half a minute, Hinata finally pushed him back at bit so that she could breathe.

"N-Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata breathlessly.

Suddenly Naruto blinked as though something was in his eyes. He faltered for a moment before sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

_'He's waking up?'_ thought Kakashi.

Kakashi could see that Hinata was stark red, and that Naruto was waking up.

_'Her voice woke him up?'_ thought Kakashi.

Naruto yawned and looked drowsily around the campfire, meeting only the eyes of several shocked and/or appalled ninja.

"What?" asked Naruto in confusion.

"N-Naruto..." stammered Hinata.

Naruto looked down to see that he was sitting on top of Hinata's hips.

She was breathing deeply and quickly, and her entire face was completely red.

Hinata's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she closed her eyes, meaning that she was unconscious again.

Naruto blushed red, and before he could do anything a red dart shot into his neck.

Naruto fell over on top of Hinata, completely unconscious.

Everyone looked over at Neji in time to see him tucking away his dart tube.

"Would you cut that out?! It's very counter-productive to constantly have two of the members of our team unconscious!" exclaimed Kakashi.

"A promise is a promise." said Neji.

"And an order is an order. You are not to do that ever again to ANY of our teammates unless I tell you to." said Kakashi.

Kakashi did not wait for Neji to reply.

He got up and walked over to Naruto and Hinata.

He bent down and took the dart out of Naruto's neck.

"If things keep up the way they are going, Naruto emotions may get out of hand... I should report this to Tsunade..." said Kakashi.

"..."

"Well, not all of it anyway..." muttered Kakashi to himself.

Kakashi bit his thumb, made three quick hand signs, and slammed his hand into the ground.

(poof)

A small pug with a Konoha Hitai-Ate around his neck appeared in a poof of smoke.

"Pakkun." said Kakashi.

"What can I do you for Kakashi?" asked Pakkun.

"Just a moment." said Kakashi.

Kakashi took out a piece of paper and began to quickly burn the surface of the paper with a thin chakra blade.

The burns didn't seer all of the way through the paper, just enough to mark a thin black line wherever he wrote.

He quickly scribbled out an explanation for Tsunade on the paper.

"He could have just as easily used pencil and paper..." whispered Neji to Ten Ten.

"Yeah, but that wouldn't have been super cool..." whispered Anko in response.

Neji sighed in a annoyance.

After Kakashi finished the letter, he folded the paper and tucked it into the handle of a hollow kunai.

Kakashi handed Pakkun the kunai.

"Here, I need you to deliver this to Tsunade as quickly as possible. Once you get it done, you can treat yourself to a good hot meal in Konoha. I left you some money in the usual place." said Kakashi.

"Alright Kakashi, I'll do my best." said Pakkun.

Pakkun grabbed the kunai in his mouth and nodded to Kakashi.

He took off to the South, but as he went to jump a log, he noticed the weasel sitting on it.

Pakkun stopped immediately to look at the weasel.

They met eyes, and Pakkun immediately recognized a very distinctive trait, and a very distinctive threat.

"Kakashi. This weasel..." began Pakkun.

As soon as Pakkun turned to look at Kakashi, he immediately realized that Kakashi didn't want him to say anything more.

"Did you say something?" asked Kakashi.

"Never mind. It's not that important..." said Pakkun.

Pakkun took off into the woods until he was completely out of sight.

_'He said something about the weasel... A weasel... Why does that seem... familiar?' _thought Sasuke.

Itachi sensed Sasuke looking right at him.

_'Uh oh...'_ thought Itachi.

Sasuke watched as the weasel quickly scurried across the camp, and curled up into Hinata's hood.

_'Out of sight, out of mind...' _thought Itachi.

"..."

"Who's weasel is that?" asked Sasuke suddenly.

Everyone suddenly became tense.

_'Uh-oh...' _thought Kakashi.

"I would think that it would be obvious that it is Hinata's." said Neji suddenly.

Kakashi immediately caught on.

"Yes, I noticed some movement in her bag before, but I assumed that she knew about it, seeing that the bag was attached to her." said Kakashi.

"And the weasel has a Hitai-ate. So it is obviously a pet." commented Anko.

_'I'll show you a pet...' _thought Itachi spitefully.

"Come here so I can petcha' little guy... " said Anko.

Anko bent over from her seat and reached for Hinata's hood.

"(HISS!)"

Anko pulled her hand back quickly form Hinata's hood.

"Jeez, little cranky bastard..." muttered Anko.

_'Cranky? I'm going to end up hurting this woman...' _thought Itachi spitefully.

Sasuke almost seemed satisfied with everything, but he was still a bit suspicious of something. Something about the weasel, he just couldn't tell what it was that seemed so off about this.

Neji inconspicuously nudged Ten Ten.

"Um, It is Hinata's. She's had it for just under a year now." lied Ten Ten quickly.

Sasuke paused for a moment before nodding.

_'Ten Ten would know, she is Hinata's best friend... So it's probably true. I've got to stop being so paranoid... I should just sit back and relax. If Itachi does show up in the Land of Snow, then... I will act.'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke leaned back against his log and shut his eyes.

Everyone relaxed a bit.

Sasuke was either meditating or resting, Kakashi wasn't sure which one it was.

_'That was close...'_ thought Kakashi.

The night provided more than enough darkness for them, lucky for them that they had built a fire ahead of time.

Nobody really talked as they watched the fire burn. They all just sat and enjoyed the peace.

Except Neji.

"We should get Naruto off of Hinata." said Neji suddenly.

"Hm?" mumbled Anko.

They looked to the ground to see that Naruto was still on top of Hinata.

"Says you. I say we let them wake up against each other. It would be funny." said Anko.

"Yes it would, but I'm siding with Neji on this one. We need Naruto and Hinata conscious, and if they don't wake up in time to eat Hinata's food, then we will have to escort them to their tents without dinner." said Kakashi.

"Even if they do wake up in time, Hinata will probably faint because of being too close to Naruto. And if she doesn't wake up in time, she will go to bed without food. So more than likely nothing good will come of leaving them like that." said Neji.

"Okay, I agree with that. Hinata's food is almost done cooking by now, so let's get them separated." said Yamato.

Yamato and Kakashi walked over to Naruto and Hinata. Yamato grabbed Naruto's feet, and Kakashi grabbed his upper torso.

"Ready? And heave!" said Kakashi.

They both lifted Naruto off of the ground, but Hinata came with him.

She was clinging on to him by wrapping her arms and legs around him tightly.

It was like she was clinging onto him for dear life.

"..."

"Alright... Set them down and we'll pry her off." said Yamato.

"Hai." said Kakashi.

They put them both down and laid them down so that Hinata was on top.

"Alright, get her hands to let go first." said Kakashi.

Yamato nodded and went to grab Hinata's hand.

Right before Yamato's hand touched Hinata's hand, he felt a sharp sting with a force that threw his whole arm back for a moment.

"Ow!" exclaimed Yamato.

He held up his hand to see a slight burn mark on the top side.

"..."

"I think she slapped my hand somehow..." said Yamato.

"What? That is impossible, she didn't move." said Kakashi.

"I'm telling you, she slapped me or something." said Yamato.

"Let me try." said Kakashi.

Kakashi reached for Hinata's hand.

Just before he touched her, his hand felt a sharp sting with a large power behind it.

Kakashi held up his hand and looked at it.

"Ow. That does hurt." said Kakashi.

"Let's both try it at the same time. If she bats you away, instantly try again." said Kakashi.

"Hai." said Yamato.

"Ready, three, two, one!" exclaimed Kakashi.

They threw forward a flurry of grabs at Hinata's hands. There were hundreds of attempts within a minute, but none of their grabs connected.

They both stopped to catch their breathes for a moment, and looked at each other.

Kakashi stood up and turned around.

"Oh well, I guess we tried." said Kakashi.

_'Sempai?'_ thought Yamato.

It wasn't like Kakashi to just give up.

Kakashi began to walk away.

"Lala la la la..." said Kakashi.

Kakashi suddenly whipped around and dove at Hinata's hand.

"Aha!" exclaimed Kakashi.

Kakashi had successfully grabbed Hinata's hand, but suddenly he felt as though something was wrong. His instincts told him to flee.

(Boom)

There was a huge and quick burst of chakra that shot Kakashi away from Hinata like a rocket.

He slammed into a medium-sized tree across the clearing, causing it to bend a bit.

Nobody said anything, they were too surprised.

"What... What just happened?" asked Kurenai.

"Did Hinata do that?" asked Anko.

"Well, after all of that trying, I think she still repelled you." said Neji.

"No, she didn't." said Yamato.

"Hm?" asked Neji in confusion.

"That chakra wasn't Hinata's, it was different." said Yamato.

"You're right." said Kakashi.

He was already off of the tree and walking to the campfire.

_'Wow, Kakashi is really strong...'_ thought Anko admiringly.

_'Ow my back...'_ thought Kakashi.

He walked up to Hinata and knelt down, holding his hand up curiously.

"I wonder if I'm right about this..." muttered Kakashi.

He moved his hand towards Hinata, but suddenly his hand was stopped by an red dome of chakra that appeared around both Naruto and Hinata's bodies.

Kakashi moved his hand away, and just as quickly as the dome had appeared, it disappeared.

"I knew it. That was Naruto that repelled me. Hinata was repelling me before with some kind of strange jutsu, but when I finally touched Hinata, Naruto was infuriated and threw me away from her. And now, his body is on full alert, ready to repel anything." said Kakashi.

"Amazing. At this point, we'll never be able to separate them..." commented Anko.

Neji was just staring at them.

"...How can you come up with such a detailed analysis of something that happened within such a small time-frame such a short time ago?" asked Neji skeptically.

"I just can, now shut up." replied Kakashi.

"..."

"...Right, so I guess the only thing to do is to..." began Yamato.

Yamato had a surprised expression on his face.

"Is to what?" asked Kakashi.

"Where did Hinata go?" asked Yamato.

Everyone looked back to Naruto's body to see that Hinata was no longer on him.

"I'm right here..." said Hinata quietly.

Hinata was kneeling at the fire, finishing the fish and ramen she began cooking earlier.

Everyone blinked at her in surprise.

Kakashi inconspicuously nudged Yamato.

"Oh sorry, I guess that I'm getting a bit drowsy. I didn't notice you at all." said Yamato quickly.

"It's okay Yamato, I didn't either." added Kakashi.

_'What happened? If she woke up on Naruto, wouldn't she faint? How is she still conscious?'_ thought Kakashi.

_'Maybe she woke up drowsy and didn't even notice...'_ thought Kakashi.

Suddenly Kakashi felt a strong force of chakra building inside of Naruto.

Kakashi saw an uncomfortable expression on Naruto face. It was filled with worry and sadness.

Naruto's hand were gripping and un-gripping and he was fidgeting a bit.

"Hinata..." mumbled Naruto quietly.

Kakashi: (He is having a bad dream or something. If we don't wake him, he could unleash his powers.)

_'There. He's doing it again. Those strange hand-movements... They aren't hand-signs for a technique...'_ thought Sasuke suspiciously.

"Why are you all h-huddled around Naruto? Is he a-alright?" asked Hinata in worry.

"Don't worry about him, he'll be just fine. We just need to wake him up before the food gets done." said Yamato.

Yamato: (We need something to wake him up now before this gets out of hand)

_'They are all doing it... I don't understand what's going on.'_ thought Sasuke.

Ten Ten: (Fish Burro grass hello one.)

"..."

Kakashi: (What?)

Neji: (She... She doesn't actually know how to sign...)

Ten Ten had a sheepish smile on her face.

Yamato: (Never mind that now! We need to wake him immediately! That dart really knocked him out cold!)

Kakashi had a sudden realization.

"Neji? Do you have an antidote?" asked Kakashi.

Neji blinked.

"Yes I do. But be careful. As soon as it hits the bloodstream, its effects are immediate." said Neji.

"Antidote? W-what antidote?" asked Hinata worriedly.

"An antidote for deep sleep." said Neji quickly.

"D-deep sleep? That... that doesn't make any sense..." said Hinata.

"Well, sometimes, Shinobi are sent out on a mission to a distant land, too far away to get supplies. And because of the distance, new orders for them could take days to arrive. So when the orders do arrive, the messenger has this deep sleep antidote to wake up any shinobi who are incapacitated from the long wait." said Yamato quickly.

Neji tossed Kakashi a small vile full of pink liquid.

"Alright, now we'll just make him swallow it." said Yamato.

Kakashi went to pour it down his throat, but a red chakra barrier came up again and burnt his hand slightly.

The barrier disappeared, but Kakashi knew it was still there.

"Ah. Ow. I can't get it through to his mouth." said Kakashi.

"You... you d-don't have to wake him..." muttered Hinata.

They either didn't hear her, or they ignored her. She couldn't tell.

_'What's going on?'_ thought Hinata.

"This is another defense mechanism, just like before when he became very heavy. We just need to get around it like Neji did before." said Kurenai.

"Right. Except I can't do it this time. Before I could touch Naruto's forehead. But now I wouldn't be able to get anywhere near him because of the chakra barrier." said Neji.

"Crap. I guess we need to try everything possible." said Kakashi.

Kakashi stood up and held his right hand straight up.

_'There are only a few ways to get through chakra...' _thought Kakashi.

Lightning chakra quickly formed a blade at the tip of his hand.

"Raikiri!" exclaimed Kakashi.

"Zoh my God!" exclaimed Anko as she flailed her arms and dove behind Kurenai.

Kakashi held up his hand for a moment, then thrust it at Naruto.

A red chakra hand flew out of the barrier and extinguished the lightning by pinching it and covering it with chakra.

It was like putting out a match with two wet fingers.

The chakra hand disappeared back in to the barrier, and the barrier faded back to invisibility.

Kakashi pulled his hand back and stared at it in disbelief.

"Well, if Raikiri didn't work, I'm out of options." said Kakashi.

"R-Raikiri?! K-Kakashi-sensei! He's just asleep! W-why are you using such h-harsh m-m-measures?!" exclaimed Hinata.

Kakashi was about to answer but he was interrupted by Yamato.

"I still have this." said Yamato.

He formed many hand-signs before stopping and holding his palm out towards Naruto.

"Hokage-Shiki Jijun Jutsu: Kakuan Nitten Suishu!" exclaimed Yamato. (Hokage-Style Submission Technique: Sanctuary Enlightenment Enclosing Palm)

Wood posts jutted out of the ground around Yamato, each one sporting a dragon shaped head.

The flew out at Naruto and tried to bite down on Naruto to pin him. But when they got close, the barrier appeared again, and when the posts hit, they disintegrated on contact.

Yamato blinked.

What was left of the posts went back to Yamato and hid themselves back into the ground.

"Well, that is supposed to be my way of stopping Naruto. So if that didn't work, I too have nothing more to contribute." said Yamato.

_'Why are they doing this?! There must be something going on...' _thought Hinata.

As they sat and pondered how to awaken Naruto, they noticed that he began fidgeting more, and he looked even more uncomfortable.

_'His powers are building to incredible levels! If he concentrates his chakra even the slightest bit...'_ thought Kakashi in horror.

"N-Naruto doesn't need to wake up r-right this second. He can eat w-when he wakes up." argued Hinata.

"Be quiet Hinata, we're trying to think." said Kakashi.

"B-but Kakashi-sensei!" exclaimed Hinata.

"Please, Hinata be quiet." said Kakashi.

Kakashi, without looking, held out his hand towards Hinata's face to stop her from talking.

But he accidentally palmed her in the face.

Hinata held both her hands over her nose.

"Ow..." said Hinata.

"Oh! Sorry Hinata..." began Kakashi.

(Boom!)

Kakashi suddenly shot away from the camp and slammed into the same tree from before, bending it a little more.

Kakashi fell from the crater in the tree to the ground.

"Ow... Kami..." muttered Kakashi.

"Kakashi! Are you alright!?" exclaimed Kurenai.

"Yeah sure, why not..." muttered Kakashi.

Everyone looked to the source of Kakashi's tormentor.

The red chakra dome around Naruto was glowing angrily, and Naruto's expression was not happy.

"EVERYONE HIT THE DECK!!!" exclaimed Anko wildly.

Everyone jumped behind their respective logs except Sasuke and Hinata.

"What are you two doing!? Get out of there!" exclaimed Kurenai.

"Who knows what he could do to you?! Look what he did to Kakashi!" exclaimed Anko.

Kakashi was still sitting on the ground by his tree.

"I'm fine just in case anyone cares..." muttered Kakashi.

"Naruto only acted d-defensively!" exclaimed Hinata.

"He's gone mad!" exclaimed Anko wildly.

"I'll take him down." said Sasuke.

"He is down. He laying down right there." said Anko in confusion.

Sasuke ignored her and drew his blade.

"Naruto wouldn't hurt me! Naruto wouldn't hurt anyone!" defended Hinata.

Suddenly Sasuke ducked and the tree behind him disintegrated.

In the place of the tree was Naruto's red chakra hand, fidgeting angrily as though it was crazy with hatred.

"Sasuke! Get yourself and Hinata out of there!" ordered Kakashi.

Sasuke nodded and quickly sheathed his sword.

He ran over to Hinata and grabbed her hand.

"Come on Hinata!" said Sasuke.

Suddenly Sasuke was yanked away from Hinata and slammed into Kakashi's tree by Naruto, increasing the size of the crater in the tree.

Naruto's chakra hand plopped Sasuke down to the ground next to Kakashi.

"Ow." groaned Sasuke as he rubbed his back in pain.

Suddenly the red chakra hand turned and quickly grabbed Hinata.

"Hinata no!" shouted Kurenai.

The hand quickly drew itself in towards Naruto and pushed Hinata up against him.

"My Hinata... Sasuke-teme won't touch my Hinata..." mumbled Naruto in his sleep.

Hinata blushed deeply and everyone watched in surprise.

"I get it... When Kakashi palmed Hinata, and when Sasuke grabbed Hinata... He... He only reacts when Hinata is touched... " muttered Yamato in surprise.

Hinata, with much squirming and embarrassment, squirmed out of Naruto's grasp, and fell out of the red dome of chakra.

Kakashi's eye widened in realization while Hinata got up and dusted herself off.

_'N-Naruto held me so close...'_ thought Hinata while she blushed red.

"..."

_'She went right through the barrier with out any resistance...'_ thought Kakashi.

"Hinata. Could you do something for me?" asked Kakashi.

Hinata blinked in surprise.

Hinata was still blushing red, but she did want to be on good terms with Kakashi.

"S-sure, I would be happy to." said Hinata.

"Have Naruto drink this." said Kakashi.

Kakashi held up the vile with the pink liquid contents.

"Me? W-w-why m-me?" asked Hinata in a flustered manner.

"Because. Are you going to do it for me or not?" asked Kakashi.

She didn't want to seem rude, especially to such revered Shinobi.

"B-but..." stammered Hinata.

"I am sorry if you don't want to do this, but this is now an order from your commanding officer." said Kakashi.

Hinata's eyes widened.

She had no choice.

"B-but why do we... He's just f-fine..." stammered Hinata.

Kakashi's expression did not change, he still held the vile in his hand, waiting for Hinata to take it.

"He threw me into a tree and nearly took my head off." said Sasuke.

"..."

"...O-Okay. I'll d-do it." stuttered Hinata.

Hinata took the vile from Kakashi's hand.

She took a deep breathe.

She walked a couple of steps over to where Naruto lay unconscious.

Hinata sat down about a yard away from Naruto.

_'Okay... here... here we go...'_ thought Hinata.

She leaned over to Naruto, the vile was in her hand as she tried to stretch her arm over to Naruto's mouth.

Hinata was blushing, but she was keeping it under control.

_'As long as I'm not too close... I can stay under control...' _thought Hinata.

"Hinata, you aren't going to be able to reach him from that far away." said Kakashi.

Kakashi walked over to Hinata and put his foot against her hip.

He quickly pushed Hinata towards Naruto, causing her to slide across the ground until her hip bumped into Naruto's torso, causing her to stop.

The panic on her face was immediate.

_'I'm so close!'_ thought Hinata.

"B-but... but... but..." muttered Hinata quietly.

Her face was stark red and she was barely holding onto the vile in her hand.

Kakashi was suddenly slapped so hard by the red chakra hand, that he did a back-flip.

_'Ow! That hurt!'_ thought Kakashi as he rubbed his cheek.

"Go on then. Just put it in his mouth." said Kakashi.

Hinata nodded quickly.

Kakashi doubted that she even heard what he said.

Her hands were shaking, and she knew that this would be hard.

_'I'll just get it over with. I'll do it quickly.'_ thought Hinata.

With a deep blush, she held Naruto's mouth open with one finger.

_'His lips...'_ thought Hinata amorously.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

She held the vile over him, and carefully poured it into his mouth.

The contents poured into his mouth, but it almost immediately leaked out of the side of his mouth.

"No. That's no good, you need to get him to swallow it. It looks as though his throat is closed." said Kakashi.

"If we had a pump, we could force it past his throat." suggested Yamato.

"Right, but we don't have a pump. We need something that can force liquid down his throat." said Kakashi.

"Oh that's easy. CPR." said Anko.

"What?" asked Neji.

"CPR forces air into a victim's lungs. You could do the same thing, except with the antidote." said Anko.

"..."

"That is actually a really good idea." said Kakashi.

"Alright, anyone willing to kiss Naruto?" asked Yamato.

"Not it." said Neji and Ten Ten.

"I'm not doing it." said Anko.

"Me neither." said Kurenai.

"Well Kakashi-sempai and I aren't going to do it." said Yamato.

"I've already kissed him once accidentally, and I'm never doing it ever ever again." said Sasuke.

"Well Hinata. It looks as though its up to you." said Kakashi with a smile.

"B-but y-you I... they... h-he... b-but..." stuttered Hinata in shock.

_'I can't believe it's come down to this, but we really need Hinata to do this. It's either her or me... and I'm not into kissing Naruto.'_ thought Kakashi.

Hinata was frozen in disbelief at the turn of events.

_'I... I have to kiss Naruto?!'_ thought Hinata incredulously.

She was hesitating, and she felt really embarrassed and unsure of the whole thing.

"Here let me help." said Kakashi.

Kakashi picked up Hinata by the back of her collar like a puppy, and threw her on top of Naruto's hips.

Hinata turned so red that her head began to steam.

"I don't think that's helping her..." commented Ten Ten.

(SWAP!)

Kakashi smacked in the chest by the chakra hand again, sending him flying into Anko.

He collided with Anko into the ground, but he immediately sat up out of reflex.

_'Ahck... You'd think that I'd have learned something about touching Hinata by now...'_ thought Kakashi.

Kakashi looked to everyone, and they looked to him, wondering what to do.

Kakashi: (Just give her some room.)

_'There are those hand-signs again...'_ thought Sasuke.

Before Sasuke could dwell any further, he was side-tracked by the sound of heavy breathing.

Hinata hadn't given Naruto the antidote yet, and she still didn't look like she was doing very well.

Hinata was already breathing much too quickly, and she was clutching the vile to her chest with both of her hands so that she wouldn't drop it.

_'I... I have to do it. I... I want to do it... I need to do it. I need to kiss Naruto!'_ thought Hinata with a deepening blush.

Hinata took one look at the vile, and she quickly poured it into her mouth.

_'Oh my God is she really going to do this?!'_ thought Kurenai incredulously.

Hinata hesitantly leaned forward a little.

_'Ha. She's really going to do this!'_ thought Anko.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and she couldn't take her eyes off of Naruto's face.

She kept the antidote in her mouth, fighting the urge to gulp in nervousness.

She leaned in close to his face and tilted her head.

_'Oh my God! No way!!!'_ thought Kurenai.

She closed her eyes and tried to brace herself for the oncoming kiss.

_'Naruto... I... I love you.'_ thought Hinata.

She leaned in and her lips touched his.

Her mind immediately went into an emotional frenzy, but she had to keep her head.

She pushed her tongue past Naruto's teeth, kept pressure down with her lips, and forced the liquid down Naruto's throat.

She couldn't help but feel completely overtaken from the experience.

_'Naruto! I'm kissing him! All on my own!'_ thought Hinata.

She pushed the liquid from her mouth until it was completely gone. Then she began to suck and lick, continuing the kiss.

Half of a minute went by, and Hinata had not moved aside from her tongue and lips.

Yamato leaned over to Kakashi.

"Didn't she finish giving him the medicine after the first few seconds?" whispered Yamato.

"I wasn't going to say anything, but I think that the situation has become quite awkward." said Kakashi.

"(Ahem)" hinted Kakashi.

"(AHEM HEM!!!)" hinted Neji loudly.

Hinata opened her eyes from the kiss to realize that she was being stared at.

Hinata blushed out of embarrassment.

"N-Naruto..." whispered Hinata.

Hinata fell back down on top of Naruto with her eyes closed.

"..."

"Well great. Now they're both unconscious again..." said Kakashi.

As Hinata laid down on top of Naruto, she could feel her skin glowing red.

_'It may be dishonest to fake a fainting spell, but this is so worth it.'_ thought Hinata happily.

_'It may be dishonest for me to fake being unconscious... But that kiss was beyond worth it! Dattebayo!!!'_ thought Naruto.

_**"You sly fox. You were awake for almost all of that kiss."**_ said Kyuubi with a smile.

Naruto ignored him, enjoying Hinata's body on top of his.

He could feel her heart beat, and her breathing.

For some reason he became extremely calm and mellowed out.

"Mmm..." muttered Naruto.

It was then that Naruto realized that he had a vile worth of fluid in his lungs.

He quickly sat up, coughing violently for about half a minute.

Once he was properly breathing again, he looked down at Hinata on his lap and pretended to be surprised when he saw her.

"Naruto? You alright?" asked Anko.

Naruto picked Hinata up from underneath her arms, and stood up.

He carried her to the remaining empty log in the circle.

He sat down against the log, and placed Hinata's butt on the ground in between his legs.

He leaned back, and leaned her back onto his chest. Her head was slightly tilted to the right, but she looked comfortable.

Naruto sighed contently and closed his eyes.

"Naruto?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto hadn't responded to Anko, and Kakashi was already worried.

"Kakashi sensei... Were there drugs in your chocolates?" asked Naruto.

_'Is he angry? The last thing we want him to be is angry...' _thought Kakashi.

"Yes. There was an extremely potent aphrodisiac in them. I assume that you and Hinata must have eaten some of them." said Kakashi.

"Yes we did eat them... I suspected something like that." said Naruto.

His voice seemed indifferent, but no one could tell if he was alright or not.

_'That's why she was suddenly so... open... She was drugged... But maybe that experience has helped her open up... If not, it was awesome for me!'_ thought Naruto.

**_"Ha! I am so proud of you! You are turning out to be a real foxy pervert!"_** said Kyuubi happily.

Naruto's face turned a slight tint of red.

"...Naruto... Are you okay?" asked Yamato.

Naruto tapped the ground with his hand once, then opened his eyes.

He looked around the campfire, and all he saw were concerned and potentially frightened faces.

Everyone was understandably concerned about Kyuubi.

"Well, let me think about that..." began Naruto.

A shadow clone of Naruto suddenly jumped out of the Northern tent, and back-handed Neji in the nose from behind.

"Gah! What the!?" exclaimed Neji.

"There. Now I'm alright." said Naruto with a smile.

He held his nose with both hands, trying to keep the blood from leaking onto his clothes.

"Honey! Are you okay?!" exclaimed Ten Ten.

"No. But I'll live..." muttered Neji.

"The hell is your problem?!" exclaimed Ten Ten angrily.

The Kage Bunshin disappeared and Naruto looked up at Ten Ten from the ground.

"I understand you being defensive of Neji and all, but he shot me with a tranquilizer dart twice. Both times were during what could have been very important emotional turning points in my life." said Naruto.

"..."

"Yeah Neji you did deserve that." said Kakashi.

Kakashi went to stand up, but winced halfway up.

Naruto noticed it immediately.

Before he could ask what had happened, he noticed some very distinct burn marks on Kakashi vest.

"Are you alright Kakashi?" asked Yamato.

Kakashi nodded, and sat back down to rest himself.

The burn marks could only be made by chakra. In this case, a demonic red chakra.

_'Kyuubi... What happened when I was unconscious?'_ asked Naruto.

There was no response form Kyuubi, and when he looked to the cage, all he saw was darkness.

Kakashi saw Naruto looking solemnly at him, and he understood what he was thinking.

"I am fine. Really... I guess I deserved it anyway..." chuckled Kakashi.

"Fine. You deserved it. Now can we eat? I'm starving here!" exclaimed Anko.

"From what I can smell, the meal is already done. I know that Hinata wouldn't want you to wait and starve yourselves on her account. So I guess you should help yourselves." said Naruto.

Everyone except Naruto and Hinata flew up from their seats and rushed to their bags, getting together their bowls, plates, and utensils.

As Naruto watched everyone run in a frenzy for their things, he realized that Hinata's breathe had quickened a bit.

_'Her breath wouldn't quicken unless... No... She couldn't actually be...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto looked down at Hinata, only seeing the top of her head from his angle of vision.

_'Hm...'_ thought Naruto.

"Hinata. If you could hear me, I'd tell you that you are a great kisser." said Naruto with a smile.

He immediately felt Hinata's body warm up, her heartbeat and breathing became even faster.

_'No way. She's been awake? She actually faked fainting?!'_ thought Naruto incredulously.

Naruto pondered for a moment.

_'She faked fainting on top of me... Because she wanted to be on me?'_ thought Naruto with a blush.

_'That must mean... That she is over that incident... She wasn't drugged when she kissed me, or when she faked fainting...'_ thought Naruto.

Even though Naruto was happy about this, he couldn't help but let visions of Daishi flash through his mind.

Naruto fists clenched a bit in anger, but he calmed himself.

_'As soon as I get back to Konoha... I'm going to be absolutely sure that Daishi gets what is coming to him...'_ thought Naruto.

He could still remember the pained look on Hinata's face when she was in that alleyway with that bastard.

Red chakra slowly seeped from Naruto's left clenched fist.

**_"Kit! Control!" _**warned Kyuubi.

Naruto blinked in surprise and his chakra seeped back into his body.

_'Kyuubi... What happened when I was unconscious?'_ asked Naruto.

**_"I... I won't sugar coat it. You used my chakra while you slept to defend Hinata. You kind of slapped Kakashi and Sasuke around a bit."_** said Kyuubi.

_'I see...'_ said Naruto sadly.

_**"..."**_

**_"If it makes you feel any better, your mind was provoked. Kakashi accidentally hit Hinata, and that is what started it."_** said Kyuubi.

It made Naruto feel a little better, but not a whole lot.

Kyuubi sensed this, and tried to cheer him up.

_**"At least Hinata is over that... She has become stronger, and she has moved on. She had to be brave to do what she did."** said Kyuubi._

Naruto realized what he said was true, and his heart swelled with happiness.

_**"So how does that make you feel?"**_ asked Kyuubi.

_'Proud. It makes me very proud of her. It also makes me want to love her even more.'_ thought Naruto.

**_'You have to learn to control you're emotions more... But you've learned a lot kit... You've really matured...' _**thought Kyuubi proudly.

Naruto looked down at Hinata, he couldn't see her face, but he could still feel her blushing from his comment.

"Hinata... I know you're actually awake." whispered Naruto.

He felt Hinata's whole body stiffen.

_'N-no way!_' thought Hinata in shock.

"I'm glad that you're over that incident, and that you've moved on. But most of all, I'm glad that you've warmed back up to me." whispered Naruto quietly.

_'D-does that mean he's accepted me?!'_ thought Hinata excitedly.

She immediately fantasized herself and Naruto actually being together, and ran what he said through her mind over and over in disbelief.

_'I'm glad that you're over that incident, and that you've moved on. But most of all, I'm glad that you've warmed back up to me.'_ thought Hinata.

It seemed like it was burned into her mind, but she couldn't help but notice that the wording had her confused.

_'Wait... warmed BACK up to him? What did he mean by that? We've never been like that before...' _thought Hinata with a deep blush.

While Hinata still pretended to be unconscious, everyone had collected all of their dining essentials.

After they all raced to the pot and pan over the fire, they realized something.

With only one ladle and one spatula to get the food with, they would have to take turns anyway.

"I call firsties!" exclaimed Kakashi and Anko simultaneously.

They both looked at each other in surprise.

"You know firsties?" asked Kakashi and Anko.

"Jinx you owe me a soda!" said Kakashi and Anko.

"..."

"I love Icha." said Anko and Kakashi.

They both looked at each other in shock.

"No way." said Anko and Kakashi.

"Cool." said Kakashi and Anko, both wearing a smile.

While they were distracted by each other, everyone else had already taken their food.

"Aw! No Fair." said Anko and Kakashi.

Anko blinked at Kakashi, and Kakashi blinked back.

"I like you." said Anko with a smile.

"Heh. You're not too bad yourself." said Kakashi.

"I'll take that as a compliment." said Anko.

"It was intended to be one." said Kakashi.

"..."

"You have a weird way of wooing the ladies." said Anko slyly.

"I've been told that." said Kakashi.

"By whom?" asked Anko.

"By you." said Kakashi.

"Would you two just sit down and eat?" complained Sasuke in slight annoyance.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever parakeet boy." said Anko.

"What?" asked Sasuke.

"The back of his hair." whispered Anko to Kakashi.

"Hehe, it kind of does look like a parakeet's." said Kakashi quietly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Sasuke in agitation.

"Just forget them Sasuke. They're just being... themselves." said Naruto.

Sasuke blinked at Naruto before nodding.

_'He's right, they're just trying to annoy me.'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke went back to eating his fish, and ignored everyone around him so that he could eat in peace.

Not everyone was like Sasuke. Kurenai couldn't just quietly eat her food. she still had to debate over what to do.

_'If I go back to Kakashi, and I tell him what happened between us, maybe he will consider me... But... Is Kakashi really the type of man I want?'_ thought Kurenai.

She looked aver to Kakashi to see him happily talking to Anko about a red-labeled book they both had.

_'Ugh! That is horribly filthy reading material! How can that even be considered literature?!'_ thought Kurenai in disgust.

_'And he is happily talking to Anko, a woman I can barely stand... Maybe I should rethink Asuma's offer...' _thought Kurenai.

Hinata was still pretending to be fainted, and she was having a difficult time trying to remain calm.

_'I need to ask Naruto-kun about this... I need to know what he meant... I will be unimaginably happy if this is his way of accepting me as a possible girlfriend, but that might not be what he actually meant...'_ thought Hinata.

She was conflicted in between happiness and doubt.

"Come on Hinata... You need to wake up now." said Naruto quietly.

"..."

"If you do, I'll feed you myself. I know you're as hungry as I am." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata blushed at the prospect of being fed by Naruto, but she still didn't want to bring attention to herself.

She was supposed to be unconscious.

(Grrrrn)

Her stomach growled loud enough for Naruto to hear it.

"C-mon Hinata... I know you want some ramen..." said Naruto quietly.

He still didn't get Hinata to move, but he was getting hungry himself.

"Hey Neji, I have a human-sized paperweight on me. Could you please get me some food for me? And some for Hinata when she wakes up?" asked Naruto.

Neji blinked at Naruto for a moment.

"Sure Naruto. Just a second." said Neji.

He gave his plate to Ten Ten, and Naruto gave Neji his and Hinata's lunch equipment.

Neji walked over to the fire, ladling ramen into their bowls.

"Here you go. Wait a moment and I'll get you some fish." said Neji.

"Thank you very much Neji. I appreciate it." said Naruto.

Neji nodded and set down their bowls next to Naruto on his log.

"This looks good Hinata, are you sure you don't want to wake up and have some?" asked Naruto quietly.

Neji came back with their plates, each plate carrying three fish.

"Here you are." said Neji.

"Thanks." said Naruto.

"Don't mention it." said Neji.

Naruto waited until Neji had sat back down, then he dug into his food.

_'Oh my God this is good! The only one who can make better ramen than Ichiraku is Hinata!'_ thought Naruto.

He finished his bowl of ramen and started on the fish.

_'I don't really even like fish and this is delicious!'_ thought Naruto in amazement.

Once he was done with his food, he set his plates out of the way and turned his attention back to Hinata, who still had not moved from her position against Naruto.

_'She's being very adamant about her unconsciousness.' _thought Naruto.

He held up Hinata's bowl of ramen under her nose.

"Hinata... I know you want some..." whispered Naruto.

Hinata blushed a little bit more, but she didn't move.

Naruto paused and thought for a moment.

"I'm going to take a spoonful of noodles and put it into your mouth. If you don't open your mouth and eat it, it will just run down onto your jacket, and it will stain your clothes." said Naruto.

Hinata said nothing, but she became a bit more tense.

_'He wouldn't...'_ thought Hinata.

Naruto got spoonful of ramen and held the spoon in front of her mouth.

Naruto leaned in to her ear.

"If you eat this food for me... I'll make it worth your while..." whispered Naruto in a soothing tone.

Hinata blushed red and bit her lower lip.

_'C-mon Hinata-chan...'_ thought Naruto in hope.

She slightly opened her mouth.

_'Her lips...' _thought Naruto with a blush.

Naruto rested the spoon on her lower lip.

_'Her lips are so plush...'_ thought Naruto.

She opened her mouth just enough for the spoon to fit in.

Naruto slid the spoon into her mouth, his blush becoming deeper.

Naruto slowly pulled the spoon back out, watching her lips move with the spoon until he completely pulled it out.

Hinata was blushing like mad, but they didn't seem to be gathering any attention. Everyone was already too busy eating.

_'Hinata-chan...'_ thought Naruto.

He continued to feed her until the ramen and fish were completely gone.

_'She really doesn't eat much... She gets full very quickly.'_ thought Naruto.

**_"Full of what?"_** asked Kyuubi with a wry smile.

_'Kyuubi don't. I'm having a nice moment.' _thought Naruto calmly.

**_"Hm. Alright, I see. I will leave you alone for a while then..." _**said Kyuubi.

Kyuubi's figure disappeared into the recesses of his mind.

_'He actually left me alone...' _thought Naruto in surprise.

As he relaxed, he just sat behind Hinata, listening to her heart beat, and feeling her breathe in and out.

The more he did this, the more he wanted to just snuggle her to death.

* * *

The night air seemed cooler than usual this time of year.

The clouds in the sky blocked the stars from view, providing an almost completely black sky.

_'Something feels... wrong.'_ thought Tsunade.

She sat at home, trying to enjoy the time she had after work was finally done for the day.

It was too stressful for her to be able to relax.

She had a list of worries that seemed to grow by the hour.

_'Sasuke may already know too much about Itachi...' _thought Tsunade.

That was already enough of a problem as it was. If Sasuke learned that Itachi actually had the clan killed by the order of the Hokage, then he might turn on Konoha, and it would devastate Team 7 all over again. Also, if he somehow goes back to Orochimaru, and Orochimaru gets a hold of his body... Konoha might become mere hindrance to him.

_'Orochimaru...' _thought Tsunade.

But then again, Orochimaru had lost his memory, as confirmed by Ibiki. So unless Orochimaru gained his memory back, they wouldn't have to worry about that particular detail.

_'I wonder how he will turn out, I wonder what we will do.'_ thought Tsunade.

There was so much controversy in Orochimaru's capture and detainment.

It was known only among the council that Orochimaru had lost his memory, and the counsel couldn't decide on what to do with him. Half of the counsel said to execute him on the spot for his crimes, while the other half argued that they should try to harness his knowledge, skills, and powers for Konoha's benefit.

She actually didn't know where to side on this. On one hand, he killed her sensei and revered Hokage. But on the other hand he had helped her a lot growing up. On one hand, he was a criminal mastermind, but on the other hand, he had no memory of ever being evil, or of leaving Konoha at all. On one hand, they could let him live among everyone else because of his memory impairment, but on the other hand if he regained his memory, he could destroy them all from the inside out.

That only started her list of worries.

_'We seem to have Bijuu popping up all over the place with who knows how many weird __"destroy the world" powers. But despite the fact that Konoha has the most revered Shinobi, we cannot seem to keep track of, or find any of them!' _thought Tsunade.

_'And on a related note, Naruto is one of those Jinchuriki... And his condition is unstable... He could suddenly go fully fledged Kyuubi at any moment...' _thought Tsunade.

_'Gah! Is there is anything else to add to this list?!' _thought Tsunade incredulously._  
_

"Tsunade-sama!" exclaimed a voice.

_'What was that?'_ thought Tsunade.

She stood up from her couch, and listened again.

(knock-knock-knock)

Tsunade got up from her couch and walked over to the door.

She opened it and peered into the darkness of the night, not seeing anyone.

Suddenly two green eyes opened in front of her door, seemingly glowing in the night air.

"(Gasp)"

(Flashback)

_"I don't know who it was. But I did see him once before. Un." said Deidara._

_Tsunade paused for a moment._

_"Describe him to me." said Tsunade._

_"He has green eyes that seem to pierce into your soul, Un. He wears a white robe with blue flames along the bottom, Un. He has a large amount of hair that seems to be balled up in a way... Un. He had a strange chakra... and that is really the only way to describe it unless you see it yourself. Un..." said Deidara._

(End Flashback)

_'Green eyes... Could it actually be?'_ thought Tsunade.

Sure they weren't soul-piercing, but they were very green.

The eyes blinked once as though expecting Tsunade to talk first.

"Tsunade-sama. Do you mind if I could have a moment of your time?" asked the voice.

The person was a girl, that much was for sure. And it was a voice she recognized, but only vaguely.

_'Someone I've only just met then...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Um sure. Please, come inside." said Tsunade.

Tsunade stepped back into her home and opened the door wider for her.

_'Now who is it?'_ thought Tsunade.

The first thing she noticed was baggy pants, and two shiny blue objects near her waist.

A black cloak seemed to flow with her movements as though it was designed to conceal this girl.

But just before her face got into the light, she disappeared.

Tsunade got tense, trying to get a bead on her possible enemy.

"Thank you for inviting me in. That is very hospitable of you." said the girl.

Tsunade whipped around to see Ashley standing next to her lamp which stood to the right of her couch.

"Ashley. What business do you have here? Is there something you'd like to discuss?" asked Tsunade casually.

_'Ashley... liaison for Koorigakure... Could she possibly be the one Deidara spoke of? She seems to match the description, and if she were well disguised, she could be mistaken for a male. The thing that really ties it together is her blinding speed. Deidara seemed to be very shaken by it.'_ thought Tsunade.

"Well yes. I would like to discuss some of the things I've seen in your village." said Ashley.

"The things you've seen? Such as?" asked Tsunade.

"Well for starters, while I have been here, I have seen at least 50 Shinobi who I know are enemies to both of our villages." said Ashley.

Tsunade's eyes widened.

"We have gotten plenty of reports about them. We don't have very many descriptions." said Tsunade.

"I have a good one for you. Long black hair, yellow eyes, bleach white skin." said Ashley.

Tsunade knew where she was going with this.

"Yes, we have gotten that description. What about it?" asked Tsunade.

"Don't act so casual. Orochimaru is one of the only people in this world who is a threat to the Leaf on his own. What is going on? You know more than you are letting on. I demand to know what the hell is going on." said Ashley firmly.

_'She is very smart...' _thought Tsunade.

"(Sigh) Fine. Orochimaru was captured and is in our custody. We have confirmation from a specialist that he has amnesia. He doesn't ever remember betraying the Leaf village. He only remembers up to his Chunnin years." said Tsunade.

Ashley paused for about a minute, looking as though she was going to say something several times, but she never did.

"And what about the Sound nin that have also been seen around Konoha?" asked Ashley.

"That we still unsure of. But we are keeping track of any sightings, and where the sightings are most common." said Tsunade.

"Right. And how about the Lightning nin?" asked Ashley.

"Lightning nin? Oh Yeah. I keep forgetting that they changed their name. We don't know about them either. But if you are going to ask about the Mist nin or any others, I am going to tell you right now that I don't know. We are just going to assume that they are staging an overthrow or destruction of Konoha." said Tsunade.

Ashley paused for a moment.

"That's what I was thinking. We need to take precautions. I have already sent word to my village requesting military assistance. If war breaks out in the Leaf, Ice will come to help." said Ashley.

_'This could just be a way to make the Land of Snow be overlooked by us. I will still need to be cautious...' _thought Tsunade.

"I will be anticipating the paperwork involved." said Tsunade with a smile.

"Hehe. Tyler always complains about the paperwork." said Ashley.

"Does he? What does he do for a living?" asked Tsunade.

"Well basically he does a lot of filing and paperwork for transactions, as well as regulating guidelines." said Ashley.

"Sounds boring." said Tsunade.

"Yeah, he complains about it a lot." said Ashley with a smile.

"It sounds like I can agree with him... Well, if that's all, I think I'm going to go to bed." said Tsunade.

"Alright then. I'll see you later." said Ashley.

Ashley quickly disappeared out the door.

'_I'm getting closer and closer to finding out what is going on...' _thought Tsunade.

"Hawk." said Tsunade.

An ANBU with a hawk mask popped out of her lamp shade, upside-down.

"Hm?" asked Towa.

"Follow her, set up a perimeter where she lives, and report directly back to me." said Tsunade.

"Hai. Hokage-sama." said Towa.

He disappeared in a shunshin, leaving leaves all over her carpet.

_'That IS annoying...' _thought Tsunade.

* * *

Two cloaked figures hid themselves in the shade of a large oak tree, watching the moon finally reveal itself from behind all of the clouds in the night sky.

"Ah. Moonlight. It is a beautiful thing." said Kisame.

"Yeah. Un." said Deidara.

"..."

"Do you have any idea how redundant that is?" asked Kisame.

"Yeah. Un." said Deidara.

"(Sigh) You and your habits..." muttered Kisame.

"Yeah Yeah Un..." muttered Deidara.

"..."

"Here he comes." said Kisame.

Suddenly another figure appeared between them.

"How are things going?" asked Deidara.

"Good. Very good. All things are going according to plan." said the man.

"Good. It will only take a little more time now. All things will start to wrap up." said Kisame.

"Un. Then we can finally relax and enjoy ourselves without any worry or stress. Un." said Deidara.

"Right. When do we start?" asked Kisame.

"As soon as we are sure of their locations." said the man.

"Right. Un." agreed Deidara.

They only needed to be sure of one thing.

That their little plan went where it needed to be.

* * *

Seeing that it was a nice night out, the nightlife was bustling in Konoha.

Especially the bars.

It wasn't very busy at the Shinobi bar, but it was for her.

"Ah! Yes! Your drinks will be there in a minute! No we didn't order any pretzels. I'm sorry sir I'll be right with you!" exclaimed Hanabi.

She had taken the job the Bryant had offered her, but she had no idea how to run a bar, nor a restaurant.

She frantically poured drinks, not getting them to the customers in time before they got impatient.

_'This is so hard! I need help!'_ thought Hanabi.

It took 10 more minutes before Hanabi finally got caught up with the orders.

"Alright Everyone! The bar will be on hold for a little bit, I'm taking a 10 minute break." announced Hanabi.

She heard a few complaints from some of the more drunk customers, but she didn't care. She took off her apron and walked to the back entrance.

She shut the door behind her, allowing her some peace from the loudness of the bar.

_'I was ecstatic when I was offered a job at an actual licensed bar, but I never knew it would be so hard...' _thought Hanabi.

"I am in way over my head..." muttered Hanabi.

She heard some shuffling noises coming closer to her from down the alleyway.

She looked down the alley to see what looked like a crate with legs walking towards her.

She blinked at first.

_'I'm actually sober for once... And I'm still seeing things...'_ thought Hanabi incredulously.

The crate walked up to her and plopped down to the ground, revealing a familiar face.

"K-Konohamaru!" exclaimed Hanabi in surprise.

"Hanabi?!" exclaimed Konohamaru.

Konohamaru observed her apron which read: "SB... It doesn't stand for sunshine biscuit."

"You work here?" asked Konohamaru in surprise.

"Well... sorta. I'm running it while the owner is gone on another venture." said Hanabi.

"Oh Wow... Well... This is the new shipment of Sak'e that he ordered, so I'm going to need you to sign on the dotted line." said Konohamaru.

He pulled out a pen and a contract on a clipboard.

Hanabi blinked at it once before taking the pen and signing it.

Konohamaru re-attached the pen to the clipboard, and attached the clipboard to his pants.

"Alright Miss, were would you like the crate?" asked Konohamaru.

"(Giggle) Miss?" asked Hanabi.

"Yeah, we're supposed to say it like that." said Konohamaru with a smile.

Hanabi smiled in understanding.

"Especially to pretty girls." added Konohamaru.

Hanabi blushed and fiddled around her fingers.

"W-Well, I'm... I-I'm going to need it in um... inside. The f-first room to the uh... to the left in the far r-right corner." stuttered Hanabi in embarrassment.

Konohamaru blinked at her for a moment before nodding.

"Okay. Let me get it." said Konohamaru.

He hefted the crate up onto his chest and leaned really far back.

He walked up to the door and kicked it open. Then he quickly scurried in before it closed.

Hanabi still stood outside.

_'What the hell was that all about?! I almost never stutter to anyone! What's wrong with me?!'_ thought Hanabi incredulously.

_'I was suddenly so nervous, and I became so flustered... So embarrassed. It felt... weird.'_ thought Hanabi.

_'I was just like my sister for a moment there!'_ thought Hanabi.

Then a realization hit her.

_'No way... No way! I like Konohamaru and all... But...'_ thought Hanabi.

Konohamaru popped his head out of the door.

"Hey. Where is all of the wait-staff?" asked Konohamaru.

"W-Wait-staff? There... Um... There isn't a wait staff." muttered Hanabi.

"No wait-staff?!" exclaimed Konohamaru.

"Then how do you keep up with all of the orders?" asked Konohamaru.

"I d-don't." said Hanabi simply.

Konohamaru looked at her in disbelief.

Then Konohamaru blushed a bit and rubbed the back of his head.

"Um.. well... I could help if you want me to..." said Konohamaru.

Hanabi blinked in surprise.

"I know all about bars because of Boss. I can really be of help to you... That is, if you really want me to..." muttered Konohamaru.

"W-well, I wouldn't want to... to be any trouble..." said Hanabi bashfully.

"No. It's no trouble at all. C'mon, let's get back inside, and I'll help you until closing." said Konohamaru.

"C-closing?! B-but... That's hours f-from now! I w-wouldn't know how t-to repay you..." said Hanabi in shock.

_'What would the Boss do?_' thought Konohamaru.

"Hm... Tell you what, If you let me take you out on a date, maybe I'll call us even." said Konohamaru with a smile.

"W-w-what?!" exclaimed Hanabi with a deep blush and wide eyes.

"Yeah, one or two dates should make us even." said Konohamaru.

Hanabi honestly had no idea what to do in a situation such as this one. She didn't think that she would ever be asked out.

"Sound good to you?" asked Konohamaru.

_'Keep your head... Okay, think about it. Do you want to go on a date with him?'_ thought Hanabi.

"S-sure..." muttered Hanabi.

Her head was ducked down in embarrassment, staring at her fingers that she was twiddling around.

"Alright! We'll talk specifics later. Right now, we have a bar to run." said Konohamaru with a smile.

Konohamaru grabbed Hanabi's hand and began walking her back into the bar.

Hanabi blushed and her eyes were wide, she didn't expect him to grab her hand.

_'Konohamaru...'_ thought Hanabi.

* * *

The fire was beginning to dim. The wood supply they had stocked for the night had all but run out.

"Looks like it just about time for everyone to head into their tents." said Kakashi.

There were only four tents, each laid out in a cardinal direction on the outside of the log circle.

"Right." said Sasuke.

Sasuke got up from his seat and walked around the fire to the first tent facing south.

He opened the tent and walked in without another word.

"Well, I guess the great Uchiha has taken rule over that tent." mocked Anko.

"Fuck you." said Sasuke.

Anko glared at Sasuke's tent, then angrily stood up and pointed at it.

"Don't make me come in there!" snarled Anko.

"Wouldn't that be suggestive?" asked Sasuke.

"What? What would be suggestive about that?" asked Anko.

"A fully matured woman barely wearing anything but a fishnet, going into a tent alone with a boy, whom is most often seen in the opening and closing credits of the show... without a shirt... and one time without any clothes at all, but with a barely appropriate screen angle to censor him." said Sasuke.

"Um..." began Anko.

"How did you get roped into filming that?" asked Kakashi.

"I was drunk, Kishimoto tricked me into it." said Sasuke.

"But you had to have realized at some point after taking your clothes off that..." began Yamato.

"I don't want to talk about it!" shouted Sasuke.

"Okay, well... Kakashi has decided the living arrangements, and according to the chart I am sleeping next to Sasuke." said Yamato.

Yamato walked over to Sasuke's tent and opened the flap.

Sasuke was in the corner with a blanket over himself.

_'Naked... pool of strange liquid... Possibly pedophile sensei... so wrong! so wrong...'_ thought Sasuke as he rocked back and forth.

Yamato turned and mouthed the word "emo" before stepping in and shutting the flap.

Neji was not one to be un-observant. Yamato said something about living arrangements and a chart. He immediately realized that Hinata could potentially end up sleeping in the same tent as Naruto.

"Wait. Living arrangements?" asked Neji.

"Yeah. You get the east tent with Ten Ten." said Kakashi.

Neji was concerned, Ten Ten was happy, and Anko didn't like this at all.

"Wait. Why does he get to share a tent with only one person when Kurenai and I have to share a tent with you?" asked Anko.

"Well, Ten Ten and Neji are together in a tent for obvious reasons that we do not need to go over again." began Kakashi.

Ten Ten and Neji blushed in embarrassment.

"Yamato has to watch Sasuke, so they share a tent. And nobody else wants to be with Sasuke in a tent because... well because he's Sasuke. So the two remaining tents have to have three people each." said Kakashi.

"Okay. We aren't complaining." said Ten Ten.

Ten Ten grabbed Neji and pulled him to the east tent.

"Come on Neji, before they change their minds..." said Ten Ten.

"But, Ten Ten! Hinata..." began Neji.

_'Hinata needs her time with Naruto... I should help her along.'_ thought Ten Ten.

Ten Ten suddenly pulled Neji in close to herself.

"Come now, and I'll do that thing that you like." said Ten Ten quickly.

Neji's face flushed red.

Before he could say anything, he was dragged into their tent, and the flaps were zipped shut from the inside.

"..."

"Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm tired. I'm going to bed." said Kakashi.

Kakashi got up from his log and walked over to the western tent and stepped in, not bothering to even zip the flap closed behind him.

"Well, I'm tired too. I'm heading in." said Anko.

Anko walked up to Kakashi's tent and smirked.

She crouched down and prepared herself.

"Dive!" exclaimed Anko.

Anko dove in through the open tent flap.

(Thud)

"Ah! Anko!" exclaimed Kakashi.

"Kakashi! Where's your pants!?" exclaimed Anko.

"There are hanging in the corner with my jacket, now if you don't mind, could you please get off of me?" asked Kakashi.

"..."

(awkward silence)

"Um. I guess I'm going to bed too." said Kurenai finally.

She got up and walked over to her tent.

She stopped for a moment when she grabbed the tent flap.

"(sigh) Okay..." said Kurenai.

She opened the tent flap and walked in.

There was a pause and then the zipper of the tent closed.

"Well Hinata, it looks like we should go to bed too." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata blushed thoroughly.

Naruto went to get up, but Hinata went limp when he moved.

"Come on Hinata, there isn't even anyone out here to see that you're really not unconscious..." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata didn't move but her face flushed a bit redder.

"(Sigh) Alright, looks like I'll have to carry you." said Naruto.

Naruto reached down to Hinata, and picked her up bridal style.

Instead of going limp, Hinata clung around Naruto's back tightly.

_'So much for being unconscious...'_ thought Naruto with a smile.

He carried her to the Northern tent, and stood in front of it.

He looked down at her blushing face. She was still trying to be unconscious. But despite that, she was tightly gripping Naruto. Her cheek was pressed up against his chest, and aside from her eyes being closed, she didn't look anything like an unconscious person.

_'Hinata's arms around me... Nothing has ever soothed me more...'_ thought Naruto warmly.

He had both arms around Hinata, and he knew that he had to open the zipper of the tent.

_'If I bend over to use one hand, I will drop Hinata...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto looked back and forth, seeing that nobody was around to watch him.

"Hang on a bit tighter Hinata..." whispered Naruto.

He felt Hinata tighten her grip, and he also felt her warm up a bit.

Naruto reached underneath Hinata and held her up by her butt.

Naruto felt the her body heat up instantly, but he knew that he needed a free hand.

Naruto reached into his pants leg for a moment, then pulled out a black belt.

_'Sakura's belt...'_ thought Naruto.

He took the belt and wound it up, storing it in his kunai holster.

"Okay Hinata." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata didn't loosen her grip like he expected she would, but then again, he never really wanted her to loosen her grip anyways.

Naruto paused for a moment, concentrating a bit.

His tip of his tail poked out of his pants at the back of the waistline.

It struggled to get through the slit that Naruto had cut for his tail, because it was only cut big enough so that the base of his tail could fit through. But his tail had thick flowing fur, and it was hard to squeeze it through.

After a few moments, he got it out.

"(Sigh)"

Naruto loved having his tail out. Having it confined in his pants all of the time seemed like he was suffocating it. Now that he had it out in the open breeze, he could feel the air flowing through his fur again. And it felt good.

As Naruto enjoyed his tail being free to feel the open air, he felt something that made him jump a bit.

Hinata's hands squeezed his sides, reminding him that she was in his arms.

Naruto realized that Hinata was still waiting to get inside the tent.

_'It is kind of cold...'_ thought Naruto.

He used his tail to grip the zipper, and pull it up.

When he got inside, he found that there was already one Lavender sleeping bag, and one orange sleeping bag laid out for them.

_'Kakashi...'_ thought Naruto with a smirk.

Once he managed to close the tent flap with his tail, he stood in the middle of the tent.

_'_(Sigh) _Okay... okay. I'm going to be sleeping with Hinata-chan in a tent... alone... very close together...'_ thought Naruto with a warm blush.

_'I need to lay some ground rules... First off, don't make any moves of any kind, even innocent ones. Unless of course she makes the first move. Then I'll know it's alright.' _thought Naruto.

Naruto looked down onto Hinata's face to see her eyes looking up at him.

They both got looks of surprise on their faces.

Hinata blushed at being caught watching him think, and Naruto blushed at catching Hinata staring.

_'She was staring at me! Why didn't she say anything?'_ thought Naruto.

"N-Naruto..." whispered Hinata.

Naruto eyes widened in surprise.

He looked back down at Hinata. She wasn't looking directly at him, but she was trying her best to make eye contact.

_'She's starting a conversation for once! We have had a lot of intimate things happen to us today... Is she going to tell me that she isn't really ready for any intimacy yet?' thought Naruto worriedly._

He had been longing to hold and kiss Hinata for what seemed like a long time, and now that he had gotten just a small taste of happiness, he was afraid of it going away again._  
_

_'No... No. Earlier, she wanted to kiss me, she wanted to lay on top of me, and she wanted to hold me. She is special to me. I love her, and I'm sure she still feels the same way about me.'_ thought Naruto.

After a long pause, Hinata spoke up again.

"Earlier today... I... um... I... we..." stammered Hinata.

Naruto could see how difficult it was for her to say what she wanted to say. And it probably didn't help that he was holding her in his arms.

Naruto got onto one knee, and gently let her down onto her sleeping bag.

She sat down on her legs, and Naruto still had his hand on the back of her shoulder.

Naruto pulled his hand back so that he could move back a bit to sit on his own sleeping bag.

As soon as Naruto's touch left her, her expression suddenly changed to scared.

She made to jump back towards him, but she stopped herself awkwardly in mid-lunge and went back to sitting on her feet.

She blushed awkwardly, looking quickly back and forth from the ground to Naruto.

She was conflicted between whether she should choose to be alone and empty without Naruto, or unsure and with Naruto.

She was hoping that after this conversation, she wouldn't have to choose either options. She wanted to be with Naruto, with no doubts in her mind at all.

She took a deep breathe.

"N-Naruto. We... need to t-talk..." said Hinata.

Naruto blinked at Hinata's seriousness and nodded.

Naruto reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper with a seal written on it.

He stood up and place it on the ceiling of the tent.

Naruto concentrated his chakra and tapped his finger on the seal.

A small invisible wave of chakra spread out along the inner-surface of the tent, molding to make a thin even layer.

After the chakra was in place, Naruto tapped the seal on the bottom right corner, causing the seal to activate.

Hinata didn't know what was going on.

"The seal causes the spread chakra to vibrate, disrupting any sound waves that come in contact with it." said Naruto.

Hinata nodded in understanding.

She a lot of chakra based molding techniques, it didn't take her more than a second to realize what the seal's purpose was.

"Now, what do you want to talk about?" asked Naruto.

Hinata grabbed a handful of her pant-leg in each hand.

_'Naruto... What do I mean to you... Do you really want to be with me?'_ thought Hinata.

The knots in Hinata's stomach were making her sick. She was so worried what the outcome of the conversation would be, that she felt like she could throw up.

"About w-what happened... between us." said Hinata.

Naruto could sense Hinata's extreme discomfort.

Now Naruto suddenly became worried of what Hinata would say.

"Do you... not want to be together?" asked Naruto in a pained voice.

"N-No!" exclaimed Hinata.

Naruto blinked in surprise.

Hinata blushed at her own outburst, but she quickly recovered.

"I... I r-really want to be w-with you..." said Hinata bashfully.

Naruto sighed in relief.

"I really want to be with you too Hinata." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata brought both of her hands up to her chest and held them over her heart.

It made her heart flutter uncontrollably every time she heard him say that.

"B-but... how can you d-decide that so s-suddenly?" asked Hinata.

"Suddenly? There is nothing sudden about it." said Naruto in confusion.

"But after we... um... did th-that... um..." stuttered Hinata with a deep blush.

"After we got affected by Kakashi's chocolate?" asked Naruto with a blush.

"Y-yes... You said... you proclaimed y-your love... For me." said Hinata dreamily.

"Yes. I did. I'm I'll be glad to do it over and over again." said Naruto.

Hinata blushed even deeper and almost failed to maintain her composure.

"Y-you said... you said that you l-loved me..." said Hinata.

"No I didn't." said Naruto.

Hinata's expression changed to surprised.

"I said that I loved you more than anything in the entire world." said Naruto.

Hinata would have swooned all over herself if Naruto wasn't right there.

I was a dream come true, but to her it seemed like it was too good to be true. Like many dreams that she had about him.

"D-did you really... Do you r-really mean that?" asked Hinata.

"What do you mean? Of course I mean it! From the bottom of my heart I mean it. Why are you suddenly asking this? I've said I love you before this, and you've never asked me if I meant it before. Is something wrong?" asked Naruto.

Now he was worried. Why was she suddenly so skeptical that he loved her?

"B-before?" stammered Hinata.

_'It's just like when he told me: __I'm glad that you're over that incident, and that you've moved on. But most of all, I'm glad that you've warmed back up to me._' thought Hinata.

_'Warmed back up to him? Before? There was no before... And now he's saying before again...'_ thought Hinata in confusion.

"N-Naruto? What are you t-talking about?" asked Hinata in confusion.

"...What do you mean?" asked Naruto.

"You... You said before... But before t-today, we... we weren't... us." stammered Hinata.

Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"Us? As in our relationship!? Hinata, what do you mean by that!? Of course there was an US!" exclaimed Naruto.

"W-What? But... B-but Naruto... We've never even k-kissed before this..." stammered Hinata in surprise.

Naruto was quite surprised. Not only was Hinata actually saying very straight forward and difficult-to-say things, but they also made no sense.

"What are you talking about?! Dattebayo!? What about after the court case!? That was the first time that I told you I loved you! And that was definitely kissing!" exclaimed Naruto.

Hinata's eyes widened in shock and her mouth was agape.

"Wha..." stammered Hinata in shock.

_'That dream I had...'_ thought Hinata.

"C-court case?" stuttered Hinata in confusion.

"Yeah! How could you forget it?! I helped beat the crap out of your father, and he tried to get me killed! I tried to sacrifice my life for you. It was then that I realized just how much I loved you!" exclaimed Naruto.

Hinata was completely in shock over this, and Naruto was confused and hurt.

"Hinata, this had better not some kind of sick joke... But I know you wouldn't lie to me about something this important..." said Naruto quietly.

He felt very hurt. Would Hinata really forget something this important to them?

_'But it... the dream...'_ thought Hinata.

Hinata forced herself to recall every detail of her dream.

The days spent with Naruto, hiding from her father. The fight with her father, the court case, the most romantic kissing with Naruto. And it all ended with her falling asleep in her bed with Naruto.

_'It... It wasn't a dream!? No...that's impossible... all of those wonderful and exciting things were just a dream!'_ thought Hinata.

Naruto saw Hinata's face. She expressed extreme shock.

"It... That day... I awoke... and you weren't there with me..." said Hinata.

It took Naruto a second or two to realize what she was talking about.

"You're father stabbed me and I had to go to the hospital... I left before you awoke." said Naruto.

_'Hinata... What is going on?' _thought Naruto.

What Naruto said hit her hard, a huge realization swept over her.

_'He... he was there?! He just left?! Then... N-no way... I didn't dream it... It... it really happened?!' _thought Hinata incredulously.

Hinata's eyes were open wide and her mind was racing.

"You... I... I thought... When I awoke... you weren't there... I... I thought it was all... a dream." stammered Hinata.

Now it was Naruto's turn to be surprised.

"You... you thought that was all a dream?" asked Naruto.

Hinata vaguely nodded, her mind was still abuzz with realization.

"I've had wonderful dreams a little similar to that all of the time. So when... when I awoke and you weren't there... I assumed it was just another dream... A too good to be true... dream..." muttered Hinata.

Naruto paused for a moment.

"You... you thought it was a dream..." muttered Naruto again.

Naruto watched Hinata, he could see that she was still in shock.

"I... I was so sad... It felt so real, that... that when I woke up and figured that it was just another dream... it broke my heart..." said Hinata.

A sudden realization hit Naruto. Something that had been bugging him for a while became very clear.

_'That's why she went to Tsunade! That's what was wrong with her that day!'_ thought Naruto.

He saw the doubt and surprise on her face, he had to convince her that it was real.

"Hinata... hiding from your father, the court case, the day I said I loved you, it was all real." assured Naruto.

A couple of minutes passed, Naruto let her think about this, although he still couldn't believe what was happening.

"But... if all that really happened... why haven't you ever hugged me... or kissed me since?" asked Hinata with a blush.

"I... I thought you were still recovering from... that incident." said Naruto.

_'Incident? D... Daishi... Th-then... What Tsunade said to do... Naruto was just giving me space?' _thought Hinata.

She couldn't believe it. It was all adding up, It all made sense.

But it was all so sudden to her.

Naruto needed to comfort her, to let her know that it was real. That what she saw and felt were all real.

"Tsunade said to give you your space until you felt more comfortable with intimacy... Hehe... But in reality, you actually thought that we weren't together." said Naruto in realization.

_'I feel like such an idiot! I mistook her extreme timidness as signs that she still needed some space...'_ thought Naruto.

"You mean... that whole time... I could have reached out and held you... And any time I wanted... I could have... kissed you..." muttered Hinata with a blush.

Naruto was watching Hinata realize everything.

"Hinata-chan. It all really happened. Trust me. That day of the court case was the best day of my entire life..." said Naruto.

"N-Naruto, I... I want to believe you... I trust you more th-than anyone... But I need just one th-thing..." whispered Hinata.

"Anything..." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata blushed at his quick response.

"...What... what did you s-say to me... when you confessed your love..." whispered Hinata.

Naruto blinked in surprise.

Hinata's face was smiling and her eyes were a bit teary.

"The first time..." whispered Hinata.

_'On the Hokage monument...' _thought Naruto.

"Please... I need to hear it..." whispered Hinata.

She wanted to know for sure. If it really did happen, then Naruto would say exactly what he said in what she thought was a dream.

Her eyes were begging and Naruto could actually feel her heart pounding.

Naruto smiled.

"Alright Hinata... just for you..." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata waited in extreme anticipation.

If he said what she was hoping he'd say, she would be ridiculously happy. She would know without a doubt that it all happened, and that they were a real couple.

Naruto remembered exactly what he said. He would never forget the moments they shared, especially that night. That night was the happiest night of his entire life.

_'The lilac petals were floating through the air, the sun was setting a beautiful horizon... Her face was so cute, so beautiful yet so very stressed... I could feel her anxiety. Her heart was pounding along with mine, I knew she was under the same stress as me. I had to relieve her of that stress and angst. I had to let her know how I felt, to express my love for her... I remember how I did it... so very vividly.'_ thought Naruto with a smile.

"Hinata, do you remember that perfect woman for me that Shino mentioned on our mission to get Kiba?" began Naruto.

Hinata's eyes widened.

_'This is exactly...'_ thought Hinata in surprise.

"I figured out who it was." said Naruto.

_'No way...'_ thought Hinata.

"Before... I told you that I had a significant other that I was secretly after..." said Naruto.

Naruto paused to watch Hinata react.

_'It's true... it all happened...'_ thought Hinata emotionally.

"Do you know who it was?" asked Naruto.

Hinata nodded with a smile, tears now flowing from her eyes.

"It was the very same woman that Shino described." said Naruto.

_'Naruto...'_ thought Hinata happily.

"It was you." said Naruto.

"Naruto..." whispered Hinata happily.

She could already feel her heart trying to pound itself from her chest.

_'Here it comes...'_ thought Hinata.

Her hands were shaking in anticipation, waiting for him to say those last words, words that shook her soul more than anything ever could.

Her eyes watered up in happiness, it was all true, and it was all coming true for her, all over again.

"I've fallen in love with you Hinata Hyuuga." whispered Naruto.

Her heart fluttered out of control. All of her angst seemed to melt away from her body, trying to escape the happiness that was flowing from her entire body.

She was so happy she honestly didn't know what to do with herself.

But Naruto did.

Naruto moved close to Hinata, inches away from her.

"I will never lose my love for you. You are forever burned into my heart." whispered Naruto.

Naruto moved in close to her face, and tilted his head.

Hinata closed her eyes, and let her tears of happiness continue to run down her face.

"I really really love you... Hinata Hyuuga..." whispered Naruto.

His lips met hers, and suddenly, to the two of them, everything was right in the world.

They just rested in each others arms for a few moments, enjoying the contact that they had both longed for.

As Hinata kissed him, she froze for a moment, she could feel his tongue touching her lips.

_'I remember this...'_ thought Hinata fuzzily.

She opened her mouth and let him fully into her mouth.

His tongue moved in, earned a small and muffled moan from Hinata.

Her hands were frozen in mid-air, as though she was surprised.

His tongue continued to tease her mouth. She could feel Naruto's love flowing through her.

Hinata recalled their moment on the monument, his touch, his love, it was just as wonderful now as it was before.

And now she knew that it was all real.

She sighed into his mouth, and put her hands lightly on his sides, surprising him a bit.

Naruto felt so loved, he really wanted Hinata to feel his love too.

Naruto moved his hands around her, caressing her figure up and down, comforting her, letting her know that he was there for her.

All this was just too much, and Hinata finally hit her breaking point past her timidity.

Suddenly Hinata pushed herself up against him, tightening a solid grip around him.

She began kissing him back with as much fervor as she could muster.

Naruto was caught in surprise, but held her and kissed her back just as passionately.

The heat was turning up quickly, both of them felt the sexual tension beginning to build.

Hinata was having a hard time resisting, and so was Naruto.

Hinata could feel her hands beginning to wander, as though on their own free will.

Naruto felt her hands moving towards dangerous grounds. If she went down there, he knew there was no turning back.

He stopped Hinata's hand with his own, and stopped kissing her, opening his eyes.

Out of worry Hinata opened her own, finding that Naruto was looking directly into her eyes.

Even though he said nothing, his eyes said a million words to Hinata.

'I love you no matter what, and I don't want to rush things... We'll be ready for this when the time comes.' thought Naruto.

It was as though Hinata could hear what he was thinking through his eyes.

Hinata's eyes watered up in happiness, and her hands trembled slightly.

"Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

She threw herself forward and hugged him tightly, knowing that he was hers. Hers to hold, hers to love, and hers to trust. If he let her take her time, then he was a very gentle and caring man, just like she truly knew he was. She knew she loved him, and she knew that he loved her just as much. It wasn't fake, it wasn't just another pointless dream. It was real.

"Naruto. Naruto... Naruto..." whispered Hinata happily.

They sat like that in each others arms for well over ten minutes, not even caring about the amount of time that passed.

Naruto rubbed her back up and down, feeling her tears of happiness run down his back.

Naruto smiled contently.

_'Hinata... I love you so much... I'm glad that you are with me...'_ thought Naruto.

They both sat in each others arms for another moment before Naruto finally spoke up.

"It is getting late, we should change out of our clothes..." said Naruto.

Hinata quickly pushed Naruto back a bit to look at his face in surprise.

Her face was stark red.

"I'll change first." said Naruto.

Naruto moved back a bit, and unzipped the front of his jacket, and in one swift motion, his jacket and pants were in his hands, and he was left wearing a black t-shirt, with orange pajama pants.

Hinata blushed realizing that Naruto had undressed himself in front of her, even though she hadn't seen anything inappropriate. It was amorous for her, even though it was just pajamas.

Naruto sat down on his sleeping bag, looking at Hinata expectantly.

_'He... He can't be serious...'_ thought Hinata with a deep blush.

"N-Naruto... I'm not wearing my pajamas underneath this..." muttered Hinata in embarrassment.

"I know." said Naruto.

Hinata blushed an even deeper red.

_'He wants to watch me undress?!'_ thought Hinata.

Naruto continued to aimlessly watch her as though it was no big deal.

Hinata, blushing like crazy, unzipped her jacket, taking it off slowly, one sleeve at a time.

Once she folded her jacket, she set it aside.

Then she reached underneath her shirt at her shoulder, and Naruto realized that she was unfastening her bra.

"Oh. Oh! Sorry Hinata... I didn't realize..." said Naruto with a heavy blush.

Naruto put his hands in front of his eyes.

_'That barely helps...'_ thought Hinata.

"P-promise you won't peek?" asked Hinata meekly.

"I promise nothing." said Naruto with a blush.

Hinata blushed wildly and her mouth opened a bit in surprise.

"N-Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

Naruto smiled and reached into his sleeping bag, pulling out a pillow.

He stuck his head into the pillowcase so that he couldn't see at all.

He laid down onto his stomach with his head face-down.

"Okay. I promise I won't peek." said Naruto.

Hinata nodded and slowly removed her shirt.

"Although it will be really hard not to look..." muttered Naruto.

Hinata immediately shot her shirt up to cover her chest, as though Naruto could see her.

"Especially with your beautifully gorgeous body..." muttered Naruto.

"N-Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata in embarrassment.

Naruto smirked beneath the pillow case.

"Y-you aren't making th-this easy..." said Hinata with a blushing smile.

"Alright. I promise I won't peek..." said Naruto.

Hinata waited a moment for Naruto to do or say something else, but he never did.

Satisfied that Naruto would stay loyal to his word, she took her kunai holster off, and slid her pants down to her feet.

"You're nearly naked right now aren't you?" asked Naruto slyly.

Hinata could feel most of her body turn red.

_'He can't really see me... he's just trying to fluster me... He can't really see me...' _thought Hinata.

After she assured herself, she reached into her bag and pulled out her pajamas.

She fit her small feet into the holes of the pants, and began to maneuver them up her legs.

"Man, what I would give to see you right now..." muttered Naruto.

Hinata tried to ignore him, but out of instinct, covered herself with her hands for a moment.

_'If I wasn't so curvy, it wouldn't take so long to squeeze my pants on...'_ thought Hinata.

She finally got her pants on, and quickly slid her shirt on.

"O-k-kay..." muttered Hinata.

Naruto took his head out of the pillowcase to see that Hinata had completely covered herself up with her sleeping bag by holding it out in front of her. The only thing Naruto could see was her eyes and up.

Naruto chuckled.

"Hinata..." chuckled Naruto.

Naruto got onto his stomach and quickly slid directly in front of Hinata.

Then he quickly shot up to make his face level with hers.

Hinata kept blushing, but was too surprised to move.

Naruto leaned in and quickly pecked a kiss on her forehead.

She instantaneously deepened her blush.

"Naruto!" gasped Hinata.

It was totally unfair for him to kiss her so unexpectantly. She didn't have any time to brace herself for it.

She held both of her hands over her face in embarrassment, only to realize that she had dropped her sleeping bag, revealing her pajama outfit to Naruto.

She saw the look on Naruto's face.

He was staring blankly at her.

She squeaked and quickly picked up the sleeping bag again, covering herself in embarrassment.

Without a word, Naruto reached out and put his hands on Hinata's.

Naruto felt Hinata's hands.

They were small and her skin was smooth. Naruto loved the feel of them.

He looked directly into her eyes, not looking anywhere else.

He slowly moved his hands down, bring Hinata's with them, but he never looked away from her eyes.

Hinata didn't resist at all. She just let Naruto move the sleeping bag down, allowing him to see her in pajamas.

"Wow... Hinata, you are REALLY hiding some serious bust underneath there..." said Naruto with a blush.

Hinata didn't know what bust was, be she safely assumed it was dirty.

Before Hinata could lift the sleeping bag again, Naruto pounced forward, taking her in his arms.

Hinata didn't know how to react in time, and before she knew it, she was hugging a more intimately dressed Naruto.

Hinata could easily tell that the pajamas were made of a much thinner material.

There was less clothing between them, and she had never felt so close to him.

And yet, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. Naruto could actually feel the heat from her blush.

Naruto brought his head back just enough to look into her eyes, his headband was against her forehead.

Hinata blushed even deeper.

"You are my Hinata-chan... You shouldn't be embarrassed, because I am yours." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata was still a bit flustered.

"You shouldn't be embarrassed to show me some of you... You know that I would love to see any little bit of you that you are willing to show... I love you." whispered Naruto.

Hinata blushed red and hesitated for a moment before reaching around Naruto, hugging him back.

"I... I love you t-too... My... My Naruto-kun..." whispered Hinata.

Naruto was surprised and overwhelmed by what she said.

Suddenly, Naruto fell over forward, taking Hinata with him.

Hinata almost squealed in surprise, but she didn't because she was already in shock.

Hinata was pinned down on the ground underneath Naruto.

Naruto was grinning and he had Hinata in a very intimate position between her legs.

"N-N-Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

Naruto smiled and suddenly rolled off of her to the side.

She was still frozen in her intimate position for a moment before she shook herself out of her stupor and quickly closed her legs, putting her hands over her waist in embarrassment.

She turned on her side and looked over to see Naruto laying on his belly with his arms folded in front of him, hiding the bottom half of his face.

If anything, it made him look very mischievous.

Hinata laid sideways on the floor still, and she wasn't sure what Naruto was doing.

"N-Naruto?" asked Hinata.

Naruto didn't say or do anything, but Hinata was suddenly caught off guard by something that brushed against her face.

On instinct, she batted it away, but once she got a look at it, she realized what it was.

It was golden and flowing fur with a white tip near her face. Her eyes followed the fur from in front of her face, to Naruto's backside.

She blushed a bit.

_'His tail... I almost forgot he had a tail...'_ thought Hinata.

Naruto's tail was waving back and forth playfully in front of her face. The white tip moved as though it was teasing her.

Suddenly it moved in closer and brushed itself against her cheek.

Hinata blushed, feeling the soft flowing fur brush left and right against her face.

"Oh! It's so soft!" exclaimed Hinata.

She grabbed Naruto's tail in her arms and squeezed it while rubbing her face against it.

Naruto immediately blushed in surprise.

"And it's so warm..." muttered Hinata happily.

She rolled on the ground back and forth with it in her hands, cuddling it mindlessly.

_'Tail-rape!'_ thought Naruto in surprise.

Naruto was all fine and well with this, until she rolled one too many times away from him.

Hinata accidentally pulled Naruto's tail, and along with it, the rest of Naruto.

Naruto flew through the air and in mid-flight he knew that Hinata would be in for a surprise.

Hinata was in mid-roll on her stomach when she suddenly felt Naruto land on top of her.

She blushed a deep deep red. Not just because she realized what had happened, but mostly because she could feel Naruto's groin pushed up against her butt.

"N-Naruto!" exclaimed Hinata.

"Hinata! I'm sorry!" stammered Naruto.

Naruto quickly rolled off of Hinata and made his way to the other side of the tent.

Naruto stopped halfway across the tent because he felt his tail holding him back.

Naruto looked back to see that Hinata still had his tail in her arms.

She was rolled onto her side, and her eyes were emotional.

She was blushing from embarrassment, but she looked sad after he moved away.

"D-Don't... don't go..." whispered Hinata meekly.

Naruto stopped and blushed.

"Hinata..." said Naruto quietly.

Naruto slowly crawled over to Hinata.

He didn't go all of the way over to her, but he stopped on his sleeping bag.

Hinata wanted him closer.

Hinata pulled on his tail, gathering more of it in her arms.

Naruto blinked and moved a foot closer to Hinata.

Hinata pulled on his tail again.

Naruto hesitated for a moment, but he moved even closer.

He was one foot away from her, sitting on his knees.

She blushed for a moment, not looking directly at him. Then she pulled again.

Naruto blushed and sat up against Hinata, his left leg rested against her side.

Hinata sighed contently for a moment, but then she looked down at the ground, as though she was conflicted about something she was thinking about.

_'Hinata?' _thought Naruto.

After a few seconds, she reached her other hand underneath her, and unzipped her sleeping bag.

Naruto blinked.

She crawled into it, and moved around a bit, getting herself comfortable.

Naruto watched as she did this, but he didn't understand.

_'Why would she have me come over this close to her, if she's just going to go into her own sleeping bag?'_ thought Naruto.

Hinata took the share of tail that she already had, and moved it into the bag with her.

Hinata looked down to the ground, blushing.

_'Hm?'_ thought Naruto.

_'I can... I can do this...'_ thought Hinata.

After a few seconds, Hinata finally pulled on his tail again.

Naruto blushed deeply.

_'Hinata... this is very straight forward, and it was probably hard for you to do...'_ thought Naruto with a smile.

Naruto slowly laid down next to Hinata, moving in closer to her.

Hinata blushed and let go of Naruto's tail, opening up her arms.

Her eyes were shut tight, and she was blushing like crazy.

She looked like she was accepting a hug, while bracing herself for a punch in the face.

_'Hinata...'_ thought Naruto.

He slowly moved into her arms, maneuvering himself into her sleeping bag while wrapping his arms around her.

He finally got positioned directly against to Hinata, and snugly fit into her sleeping bag with her.

He felt her chest against his, which made him blush, but then he realized something.

_'Oh my God is she even breathing?!'_ thought Naruto.

He leaned in to Hinata's ear.

"Relaaaaaax..." whispered Naruto in a soothing tone.

He wrapped his arms fully around her, pulling himself as close to her as possible.

She blushed deeply and held him back, releasing her held breath.

"(Sigh)"

_'There isn't as much clothes between us... I can feel her skin... She feels... so good.'_ thought Naruto amorously.

They both laid there on their sleeping bags, enjoying each others touch.

They stayed that way for a good 15 minutes, not saying a word to each other.

It seemed like there were no words to be said.

_'Hinata... I really want this to work between us...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto began rubbing Hinata's back up and down.

"Mmn... Naruto..." mumbled Hinata happily.

They laid in each others arms. Their combined warmth and touch made both of them extremely relaxed.

Naruto felt Hinata's breathing slow down, and she was wasn't tense any more.

"Hinata?" whispered Naruto quietly.

There was no response, she was asleep.

Naruto smiled warmly, and moved himself against Hinata, getting comfortable.

He could already feel his eyelids getting very heavy.

It was too comfortable, he was so content.

_'Hinata... My cute Hinata-chan...'_ thought Naruto with a blush.

He fell into a deep sleep, forgetting all of his problems for now.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER

* * *


	38. Foresight

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

_**(Lemon) **_if you skip a lemon, I'll be sure that you don't miss a thing if you do. Cause I understand that some people would rather skip it because they feel that it is inappropriate, but I think that not having a lemon would be unrealistic to a relationship. But what do I know? I write about ninjas flying around blowing stuff up, how realistic is that in comparison?

Oh well, anyways, enjoy the chappie!

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 38:**_

_**Foresight**_

**_

* * *

_**

The sun rose up from behind the Hokage monument, slowly rolling sunlight over Konoha, and warming it up from the night's cold.

Tsunade had gotten enough sleep, surely this was true, but she didn't feel any better.

She found herself pacing back and forth in her living room tirelessly.

She had gotten up hours ago out of restlessness, so she was already fully dressed and ready for work.

But her work hours didn't start for another 20 minutes.

_'It's morning now, and still no word from ANY of the groups! Even the ANBU detail I had follow Ashley hasn't responded yet!'_ thought Tsunade incredulously.

She continued to pace back and forth between her couch and her living room windows.

As Tsunade paced back and forth, Jiraiya walked in from the next room.

_'She's pacing again...'_ thought Jiraiya.

"Tsunade?" asked Jiraiya.

"Not now Jiraiya." said Tsunade.

"Come on Tsunade... Just come with me and relax yourself." pleaded Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya please, I'm too busy." said Tsunade.

"You haven't even started work yet. Come on... I made you pancakes..." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade stopped pacing.

"..."

"Banana pancakes?" asked Tsunade.

"With chocolate chips." said Jiraiya.

"And the syrup?" asked Tsunade.

"It's maple syrup. And it's all nice and warm." said Jiraiya.

"..."

"Alright you talked me into it." said Tsunade.

Tsunade walked past Jiraiya into the kitchen.

Jiraiya smirked.

_'Works every time...' _thought Jiraiya.

He walked into the kitchen, and Tsunade was already sitting at her dining room table and had her plate filled with three pancakes loaded with syrup.

He smiled and walked up behind her.

He reached his hands over her body, and when she didn't respond, he laid his hands on her shoulders.

He began to massage and rub her shoulders, getting her to relax even more.

"See? Everything isn't so bad..." said Jiraiya soothingly.

"(Sigh) I guess you're right." said Tsunade with a small smile.

"Then let's have sex." said Jiraiya.

"What?" asked Tsunade.

"What?" asked Jiraiya in confusion.

"What did you say?" asked Tsunade.

"I said: See? Everything isn't so bad." said Jiraiya.

"No after that." said Tsunade.

"I didn't say anything after that. All this stress must be getting to your head. You should calm down and have some more pancakes." said Jiraiya.

_'I must be driving myself mad... I could have sworn he said something...'_ thought Tsunade.

(Crash!)

They both heard the sound of breaking pottery, and rushed back into the living room.

Tsunade and Jiraiya both stopped in surprise to see the ANBU operative Towa standing next to Tsunade's now-broken lamp.

"What is going on here?" exclaimed Tsunade.

The ANBU member was used to Tsunade's loud and commanding tone, but still jumped at the sound of her voice.

"Hokage-sama! Um, I... well... I left my post to help track Ashley. She was hard to track because of the nature of her movement, but we finally tracked her down." said Towa.

"That is great news! But um... what happened with my lamp?" asked Tsunade.

"Well, I had to leave my post to accomplish the task, so I had Komachi take over for me here." said Towa.

"Komachi?" asked Tsunade.

"Yes Hokage-sama." said Towa.

"...Well where is she?" asked Tsunade.

"She had to hide herself in this room just like I always do, so she henged herself as a lamp." said Towa.

They all looked down at the shattered lamp.

"..."

"But I only have one lamp in this room..." said Tsunade.

They all looked down at the lamp again.

"..."

"Does this mean she's dead?" asked Jiraiya.

"No, I think she must have seen me coming and left her post just before I arrived. I was trying to get her attention, so I poked the lamp. But instead of her un-henging herself and coming out, the lamp just fell over." said Towa.

"Okay then... Well, you said you knew where Ashley was staying? What is the residence?" asked Tsunade.

"It is Apartment Complex 4, floor 3, hallway 19, room number 90." said Towa.

"I could have told you that." said Jiraiya.

They both looked at him incredulously.

"What do you mean?" asked Towa.

"Well, when I met Ashley, she said that she had been sleeping in a tree, so I set her up with an apartment." said Jiraiya.

Towa fell over in disbelief.

"We tried to track her all night... And you knew all along..." stammered Towa from the floor.

"You never asked. And in my defense I was never aware of such an endeavor." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya turned to Tsunade.

"If you would just talk to me more, then we wouldn't have problems like this." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade was looking guiltily at the ground.

"Alright, I assume that you are setting up surveillance at her residence... in hopes of catching Tyler if he stops by?" asked Jiraiya.

"Yeah... that was the idea." said Tsunade.

"We have nothing to report so far, other than she seems to carry around strange weapons." said Towa.

"Strange weapons? What do you mean?" asked Jiraiya.

"She holsters what would appear to be a very large... kunai or something... It has a strange curved prong shape or something. And that is really the only interesting thing that we have to report." said Towa.

"Hm... Does Tyler know that we have set up surveillance?" asked Tsunade.

"Not likely. The last place Tyler was reported being seen was in a bar." said Towa.

"I know, Shizune told me about that." said Tsunade.

"Well, we will have to keep up surveillance while we can, but we really don't know who to trust at this point." said Jiraiya.

"Right. I should assume my post." said Towa.

Towa twirled around and disappeared in what looked like a vortex of swirling red ribbons.

"..."

"Does he always do that?" asked Jiraiya.

"Yes. But don't touch the ribbons, they are actually really sharp." said Tsunade.

"How did you find out? Couldn't resist the urge to touch them?" asked Jiraiya.

"..."

"(Sigh) Alright, I guess its about time we head on up to the counsel meeting." said Tsunade.

"Alright." said Jiraiya.

* * *

The sun had reached the hard oak decks of the Hyuuga household. But most of the Hyuuga clan was up long before then.

Especially their leader.

He thought that he had raised good children. He thought that he had done the right things. He thought he had taught the right principals for his children to live by. But no matter how much he tried to keep his children out of trouble, they always seemed to get back into it.

"(Sigh)"

Ever since his series of surgeries at the hospital, they had condemned him to a wheelchair. He knew it wasn't going to be for very long, but he really did hate sitting down all of the time.

He wheeled himself out of his study and into the hallway, past the fanciful adornments, and traditional elegances that commonly colored the home of the Hyuuga.

_'Hanabi... Is in deep trouble. Neji... Is in even worse trouble... And Hinata... she could bring about a whole new catastrophe all on her own...'_ thought Hiashi.

He was wheeling himself through the hallway of the main household, trying to make it to the dining room where an important meeting was being held.

_'Why couldn't my children have turned out more like me? All I did when I was their age was train and study...'_ thought Hiashi.

He finally made his way to the kitchen and wheeled himself passed it to the entrance dining room.

He could already hear a low roar of the counsel's conversation, although it was difficult to make out with so many people talking at once.

_'Well, at least things seem to be normal.'_ thought Hiashi.

Hiashi finally wheeled himself into the dining room, and into sight of the counsel.

Every Hyuuga in the room went into complete silence upon his entering.

The long dining table was filled with the Hyuuga elders and officials of the counsel. Nobody really looked happy to see him in a wheelchair.

_'Our leader being in a wheelchair shows all other clans that we are weak. We must replace him immediately before our weakness becomes apparent!'_ thought an elder.

_'The Lord is in a wheelchair! I hope he is alright...'_ thought another elder.

_'He is in a wheelchair even... What did our Lord have to weather through?'_ thought a counsel man.

"(Sigh)"

_'This meeting is going to be trying. I can already sense it.'_ thought Hiashi.

Hiashi made his way around the table and to the front, where he stopped his wheelchair to face the counsel.

"This meeting is now in session." said Hiashi.

Most of the elders relaxed a bit, seeing that Hiashi going business as usual, despite what had happened to him.

"Alright. First order of business?" asked Hiashi.

"Your well-being." said an elder immediately.

Hiashi was happy that an elder actually cared about him, but he didn't want this meeting to be about him.

_'There are more important things at hand.'_ thought Hiashi.

"I am fine. My health is not relevant to this meeting as of now. I will be recovered within a few weeks." said Hiashi.

"But what about Neji?" asked another elder suddenly.

"Yes. Surely the correct course of action to be taken would be to kill him." said an elder.

Hiashi's eyes snapped to the elder that spoke.

He immediately and regrettably recognized him.

His name was Kobo, an elder that had much respect among the counsel. His ways were not favored by many others, as they were considered too ruthless. In Hiashi's opinion, he was nothing more than a pompous and arrogant man with only one goal, and that was to become the Head of the Hyuuga, the strongest clan in Konoha.

"On what grounds are we to kill Neji Hyuuga?" asked Hiashi quickly.

Most of the counsel looked at Hiashi like he was joking.

"He inflicted that heart attack upon you, which almost killed you Hiashi-sama! Attempted assassination of the Head of our clan not only brings the death penalty, but also the suffering of everyone near and dear to the assassin." said Kobo.

"Neji Hyuuga did not cause me to have a heart attack, therefore he would not deserve any penalty of any kind. He picked up my unconscious body, and whisked it to the hospital. If anything, Neji should be rewarded for saving my life." said Hiashi.

"What? Hiashi, have you gone senile in your old age? Neji Hyuuga is most definitely to be executed. Even if Neji didn't try to kill you, as you just so happen to suddenly say..." began Kobo.

Some elders gasped, while others stood up and quickly backed away from the table, thinking that Hiashi might attack him.

Hiashi narrowed his eyes at Kobo, causing a few more of the Hyuuga in the room to tense.

This was a sign of Hiashi's anger.

Only a few Hyuugas had ever seen Hiashi angry, and they knew to be as far away from him as possible when he was.

But Kobo seemed un-phased, and he continued without care.

"He also openly attacked vital and distinguished members of the Hyuuga counsel. That also brings the death penalty upon his head." finished Kobo.

"Yes, he threw that large and heavy door on us and ran away. That is an attack and insubordination, as well as treason against the clan." said another elder.

"That was not an attack. That was self-defense against attacks and claims from those particular elders." said another elder.

Everyone looked over at that particular elder who spoke. Out of all of the Hyuugas, Kobo hated this one the most.

His name was Hiro. He had been a part of the counsel for the least amount of time, but was the most revered.

Despite the fact he had only spent 10 years in the counsel, he was most trusted by Hiashi Hyuuga, something that really burned Kobo's ego.

"I don't really see how you can conclude that." scoffed Kobo.

Hiro directed his attention to Kobo.

"I am no fool. You, the other elders, and I, tried to activate Neji's seal. We did not have a valid reason to do so, because we were acting on false assumptions. Therefore I say that Neji was entitled to self-defense." said Hiro.

No one reacted to what Hiro said until Hiashi said something they never expected him to say.

"I agree." said Hiashi.

Half the counsel jumped in their seats out of surprise.

Kobo couldn't believe this was happening.

"Hiashi! Please reconsider! Neji has been disobeying the counsel for a while, and now this? I think that there is treason afoot." said Kobo.

"The only reason you say such things is because you only want Neji out of the way so that your son will seem more revered." said another elder.

The entire counsel now looked at Kobo. It was well known that his son had nearly raped their Lord's daughter, the Hyuuga with the purest blood.

Kobo could feel the elder's and counsel's eyes boring into him.

"I have no son. After what he did... after what he tried to do... He is no son of mine." said Kobo.

Hiashi blinked in surprise.

"The reason behind me wanting Neji executed is that he is unstable, and that he is a possible threat. Even with the seal upon his forehead, he could cause surmountable damage to the Hyuuga clan before being stopped or killed." said Kobo.

"I concur... to a point anyway. Neji is a threat, and more than likely has a grudge against us right now. But we need to show him that it was all a misunderstanding, and that he is still a valued shinobi of our clan." said Hiro.

"You are wrong Hiro. Neji is a powerful Shinobi. The next time we meet him, it will either be his last time, or our last time to do so." said Kobo.

"No. you are the one that is wrong. Neji is a good person, he would not harm those close to him." said Hiashi.

Kobo stood up suddenly and turned angrily to Hiashi.

"But even so, what about every other member of the Hyuuga clan? What about the ones who aren't close to him? Is our safety not as important as yours?" exclaimed Kobo angrily.

Hiashi slammed his hands into the table in anger, causing the room to shake for a moment.

"Don't you try to make this about you Kobo! You know as well as I do that Neji would not attempt to harm any of us here, despite the fact that I know a few of you deserve it!" shouted Hiashi.

The elders stared at Hiashi in shock.

They had never seen Hiashi speak out against one of their members so adamantly.

"Neji wouldn't harm anyone? What about 3 years ago when he nearly killed your eldest daughter, the heir to the entire clan?" spat Kobo.

"That was long ago Kobo! Neji has grown, and he no longer has a grudge against the Main branch of the Hyuuga clan." said Hiashi.

"I agree. I believe it was with the help of one Naruto Uzumaki, that Neji's recovery from darkness was made possible." said Hiro.

"Do you honestly trust Neji? What's stopping him from attacking again?" exclaimed Kobo.

"His heart. He would never hurt the ones he cares about." said Hiashi.

Hiashi's simple words struck the counsel deeply.

But it only made Kobo more angry than before.

Kobo stood from his seat and slammed his hands down on the table in anger.

"Now you listen to me Hia..." began Kobo angrily.

"NO! Now YOU listen to ME Kobo Hyuuga!" yelled Hiashi.

Kobo fell back into his seat and blinked in surprise.

"This is what we are going to do. If you don't like it, then leave the clan all-together! I can assure you that at this point, I will NOT miss you!" shouted Hiashi.

The elders were shocked in silence.

"As clan leader, I have decided that the charges against Neji Hyuuga are false and are to be dropped immediately." said Hiashi.

There was an immediate uproar among the elders who were involved in Neji's escape.

"What?" exclaimed Kobo angrily.

"What are you thinking?" exclaimed an elder.

"You can't do this!" exclaimed another.

"I CAN do this... Because I just have." said Hiashi.

Kobo quickly stood up from his chair and stormed angrily to the entryway of the room.

He turned and faced the counsel.

"There are plenty of people that would agree with me Hiashi. So if you don't carry this out properly, then I will just have to do it on my own time." seethed Kobo.

He left the room in a rush, leaving the counsel with something to think about.

"If anyone sees any suspicious activities from Kobo, please notify me immediately." said Hiashi.

"Of course Hiashi-sama." said Hiro.

A few other elders and counsel members agreed, though a few seemed uncomfortable for some reason.

Hiashi ignored this and continued.

"Neji has been through enough with the counsel and the elders. He has suffered through many restricted freedoms and unlawful punishments. All inflicted upon him, despite the fact that he has always done the right thing." began Hiashi.

Nobody said anything, though a few couldn't look up from the table out of guilt or anger.

"Neji has always done the right things. But sometimes those things were against the wishes of our counsel. And without my permission, Neji has been unknowingly beaten and punished for these things. So now that these things have been brought to my attention..." said Hiashi.

Hiashi paused to look at Hiro, who was lightly smiling.

"Neji Hyuuga is now going to be fully underneath my supervision. No one is to pass judgment upon him except me. Hizashi left him in my care, so care for him I shall. Is this clear?" asked Hiashi.

Having been sobered up by the reminder of Hizashi's death, the counsel and elders nodded respectively.

Hiashi's words seemed to be full of proud authority, which made most of the counsel sit up in their seats.

"Hiashi-sama. If Neji is under your care in such a way, won't you show him too much leniency? Seeing that you are his uncle and all." said an elder.

"If Neji has done wrong, and he needs to be punished with 50 strikes from a bamboo stick... Then it will be me who will carry out that punishment." said Hiashi.

After Hiashi said this, no one spoke up, or looked like they had something to say.

"Good. Now on to other matters. We need to move on to the most important matter of all. My daughter." said Hiashi.

"Yes, Hinata. She is supposed to partake in the ritual tomorrow is she not?" asked Hiro.

"She would, but as you all probably know, Hinata was... (sigh) she was accidentally sent away on a mission to the Land of Snow." said Hiashi.

The elders stopped to look at each other.

"Yes... We have all heard this. We have also learned that our Hokage is doing all she can to bring her back as soon as possible." said an elder.

"Lady Tsunade is doing all she can, so Hinata could be back any time now." said Hiro reassuringly.

"..."

Hiashi paused for a moment to think, and silence swept over the counsel.

Finally a counsel member spoke up.

"Hiashi. If Hinata is not back in time for the ritual, then the process of her Bijuu awakening will be unstable, and very unpleasant." said a counsel member.

"It will probably kill her." said Hiro.

Hiashi's head ducked down a bit, and everyone in the counsel shot Hiro a look.

They didn't want their leader to be stressed out.

"What? I am not going to lie. Hinata may not make it through the process of the awakening without the proper sealing. If it is any consolation Hiashi-sama... I would miss Hinata-sama most dearly if she were never to come back. She is so sweet and kind. Any fool can see that she has her heart in the right place." said Hiro.

Hiashi looked up a bit at Hiro, then slowly turned his wheelchair away from the counsel.

"...Hiro." said Hiashi.

"Yes Hiashi-sama?" asked Hiro.

"You are in charge of the remainder of this meeting. I... need to think about some things that are bothering me." said Hiashi.

"H-Hai. Hiashi-sama." said Hiro out of surprise.

Hiashi wheeled his way out of the room, and down the hall.

_'Neji... Where are you right now? Are you alright?' _thought Hiashi.

* * *

Aside from the Hyuuga's meeting, the Konoha counsel was having a meeting of it's own in Tsunade's office.

"Alright, this meeting is now underway." said Tsunade.

Tsunade was sitting at her desk. With Shizune at her left, and Jiraiya at her right.

The Konoha counsel was spread out in front of her, all of them sitting in chairs at a horizontally long table, all of them facing her.

Aside from the elders that made up half of the Konoha counsel, Tsunade thankfully knew the other half.

Tsume Inuzuka. Although she was rather rough and rowdy, Tsunade knew the leader of the Inuzuka clan quite well. She was a person she could count on.

Inoichi Yamanaka. A very knowledgeable shinobi with a deep understanding of Konoha's secret files and jutsus. Definitely a reliable resource.

Shibi Aburame. Although very serious, silent, and mysterious, the leader of the Aburame clan always did seem to agree with her.

Choza Akimichi. The leader of the Akimichi. He is very good-hearted, but she just had to remember not to call him fat.

Shikaku Nara. Intelligent, smart, and knowledgeable. The best tactician aside from his son. Always the right man to ask a question.

But the other five members of the counsel, she did not know, nor did she like.

For all she cared they all had the same name.

_'Pompous old geezers...'_ thought Tsunade.

The thing she hated most about Konoha counsel meetings, was that the two supervisors were always completely against her.

_'Homura and Koharu...' _thought Tsunade.

Almost every tactical decision she made was opposed by those two.

_'With those two as the supervisors, it is always hard for things to go my way. And with today's crucial topic, I must be extremely careful not to let this meeting turn the wrong way.' _thought Tsunade.

"And what is the main topic of discussion this meeting?" asked Shikaku.

"Yes. I have been quite interested about a few rumors I have been hearing around the village." said Inoichi.

"I assumed it would have something to do with the reports we have been getting." said Choza.

"What do you think Shibi?" asked Shikaku.

"..." said Shibi.

"..."

"If you would all be quiet, your Hokage would have told you by now." said Homura.

"If you would, Tsunade? I would like to get this started." said Koharu.

"Alright. Today's meeting has two important topics, both inter-linked with each other." said Tsunade.

"Well that figures. It always has to be something complicated..." muttered Choza.

"Shh!" shushed Shikaku quietly.

Tsunade continued.

"First off, would be all of the reports we have gotten of foreign Shinobi within our midst. Shikaku, based on a collaboration of all of the reports, what do you think is happening?" asked Tsunade.

Everyone looked to Shikaku, they knew that he was the smartest of them.

"Well Tsunade. There have been sightings of 3 of the 5 major Shinobi nations, plus the largely unknown Koorigakure. The only country that doesn't seem to be involved in this is the Land of Earth." said Shikaku.

"Earth country? Of all of the Shinobi nations, they are the most likely to go to war with us." said Tsume.

"Yet they are not involved. Shikaku, please continue." said Koharu.

"Right. The land of Earth Shinobi have not been sighted in our village, although, The lands of Water, Wind, and Thunder have been sighted here. All of them from their respective primary hidden villages. I would come to assume that this is some sort of collaboration attempt to control the Land of Fire, the most bountiful and resourceful country in these lands." said Shikaku.

"But why now? Why would now be a good time to do so? Is there some sort of event or ordeal taking place soon? Anything that they could take advantage of?" asked Tsume.

"Nothing seems to point to that Tsume. Unlike when Orochimaru used the Chunnin exams to attack us, there is nothing going on that they could use to their advantage." said Shikaku.

"There may not be any events taking place, but there only seems to be one thing that links all five nations to this." said Tsunade.

"Ah. The hosts." said Homura.

Everyone in the room tensed.

"As you may know, the Jinchurikis throughout these lands each have an affiliation with a Shinobi nation. The Land of Wind has Shukaku the Ichibi. The Land of Thunder has the Nibi and the Hachibi. The Land of Water has the Sanbi and the Rokubi. The Land of Earth has the Yonbi and the Gobi. The Land of Waterfall had the Shichibi And finally we have the Kyuubi. Looking at a tactical standpoint, that puts us near the bottom with only one Demon host. We should be weary of countries who have more than one Jinchuriki." said Tsunade.

"So, what you are getting at, is that the countries are all striving to get more Jinchuriki?" asked Shibi.

"The more demons a country has under their control, the more power that country has." said Shikaku.

"But why are they all around Konoha for? What could they possibly want from us? We only have one Jinch..." said Tsume.

She stopped talking, realizing the answer to her own question.

"Naruto." confirmed Tsunade.

"The strongest of all of the Bijuus resides inside of him." said Shikaku.

"If any countries that already have a Bijuu, harness that kind of power, who knows what could happen?" asked Tsume.

"We have already encountered that kind of situation. Does anyone remember Sora of the Fire Temple?" asked Koharu rhetorically.

"A Pseudo-Jinchuriki." said Shikaku.

"We don't need that happening again. As far as we know, only the Kyuubi had enough excess chakra to create a Pseudo-Jinchuriki. So as long as we keep the Kyuubi under our supervision, we shouldn't have to worry about that." said Koharu.

"Well actually... There have been other cases of Pseudo-Jinchuriki being successfully created. And some of those cases reside within Konoha." said Tsunade.

"What?" exclaimed Homura.

All of the members of the counsel were mortified, and even Shikaku looked surprised.

"Why weren't we informed of this?" exclaimed Koharu.

"Well, to put it simply, the last time someone informed you two, that there was a force getting too powerful within our Village, you had them killed." said a voice.

Everyone turned to see a man standing behind the counsel table, and most of them didn't know him. He seemed to carry a massive presence despite his short stature, but that might have just been the huge afro atop his head.

_'Oh God... not Tyler...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Who let this man in here? This is a private meeting! Why didn't the Guards stop you?" exclaimed Homura.

"I didn't pass the guards." said Tyler.

"Then how..." began Koharu.

"He does that. What do you want Tyler?" said Tsunade quickly.

She needed to get him out of the room as fast as she could. Based on her interactions with him so far, he would most likely ruin everything she was trying to accomplish at this meeting.

"I don't want anything relevant to this conversation. But I do feel obligated to offer my input on a subject that seems to concern me." said Tyler.

"This doesn't concern you, whoever you are! I demand that you leave at once!" commanded Koharu.

"Okay." said Tyler.

Tyler instantly disappeared.

_'Koharu doesn't want him here? Hm...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Tyler come back." said Tsunade.

Tyler instantly reappeared.

"Yes Hokage-sama?" asked Tyler.

"I need you to offer your input." said Tsunade.

"Okay." said Tyler.

"Tsunade! You cannot just allow some... some punk to waltz in here and preach! Everyone here on this counsel is a dignified leader which qualifies them to sit in the seats they are in now. How would his opinion matter at all?" exclaimed Koharu.

"Because I say it does. Now, as you were saying Tyler?" asked Tsunade.

_'Muhaha... maybe I can use this to my advantage...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Right. Well, the last time you two heard of a rising power in Konoha, you killed it. A near-complete genocide of the Uchiha clan. So why would Tsunade be compelled to tell you that there are several Pseudo-Jinchuriki in Konoha?" asked Tyler.

"Several?" exclaimed Shikaku.

"I daresay that I'm offended by this! You are insinuating that we are murderers!" exclaimed Homura.

Tyler's sunglasses gleamed as he shifted his sight to Homura, giving off a small amount of anger.

"I'm not insinuating. I'm telling you that I think you are murderers." said Tyler.

"N-N-Now see here!" exclaimed Koharu.

"I am seeing here. I'm seeing there too. I just don't get why you find it so important at this particular moment to check that I'm not blind. Just because you can't see my eyes, doesn't mean they aren't there." said Tyler.

"I concur." said Shibi.

"But-na-wha-you!" stammered Koharu in an outrage.

Tsunade giggled to herself.

_'Maybe keeping Tyler here is a good idea, I think I CAN use him.'_ thought Tsunade.

"Tyler, despite his demeanor, is my secretary in place of Kotetsu. I recently discovered that he is... a Pseudo-Jinchuriki." said Tsunade.

She thought that the room was tense before, but now everyone seemed to inconspicuously move to the edge of their seat, as though they were expecting something terrible to happen.

Everyone had their eyes on Tyler.

"..."

"How do you know that he is a Pseudo-Jinchuriki? Has he shown you his powers?" asked Shikaku.

"Yes. Lets see his power. I want to see it for myself." said Koharu.

"Okay. Yeah sure, why not? And while we're at it, let's all take some explosive sledge hammers, set them on fire, and test them out on the support beams." said Jiraiya.

"..."

"It would have similar results, I assure you." agreed Tsunade.

Suddenly Tyler lifted up his shirt, revealing his bare stomach.

Nothing happened for a moment, until a bright yellow and dark black chakra began forming a seal on his stomach.

Shikaku stood up quickly.

"That seal! That's impossible!" exclaimed Shikaku.

"What is it Shikaku? What's wrong?" asked Choza.

"This is the very same seal that was attached to Naruto shortly after he was born, and as we all know, it was done by the Fourth Hokage. This eight trigram style seal allows the chakra of the Kyuubi to bleed through the upper and lower Four Symbol seals into Naruto, while still keeping the Kyuubi imprisoned. It is the EXACT same seal." said Shikaku.

"Impossible. I happen to know that Kushina Uzumaki personally developed that seal herself. There is no way that there can be a perfect copy." said Koharu.

"Well I don't know what to tell you. Because I've had this seal on me since I was 3 years old." said Tyler.

"Do you remember who sealed you?" asked Homura.

"No, I was just told that it was sealed into me when I was 3. That's all I can remember, it was too long ago." said Tyler.

"Do you remember who told you that?" asked Tsume.

"...Not really anyone specifically, but he wore a long white robe and..." began Tyler.

(Bam!)

Everyone turned to see the door slammed open, with two unconscious guards on the floor, and a cloaked woman with baggy jean pants standing angrily at the doorway.

"Tyler! Where have you been?" exclaimed Ashley.

"Ashley I..." began Tyler.

"Who is she?" asked Homura.

"Shut up! Nobody asked you! Answer me Tyler! Where have you been?" shouted Ashley.

"At work!" exclaimed Tyler.

"How do I know you aren't lying?" asked Ashley.

"Tsunade." said Tyler.

"He was at work." said Tsunade.

"Okay then. But what is this that I found under the bed?" asked Ashley.

She pulled out a bag of brown sugar from her cloak.

Tyler stared at the bag for a moment, not moving a muscle.

He instantly disappeared.

"..."

"No you don't!" shouted Ashley.

Ashley also disappeared, leaving the counsel alone once more.

"..."

"So what was that all about?" asked Tsume.

Everyone turned to Tsuande who was rubbing the bridge of her nose.

_'Maybe that wasn't such a hot idea after all...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Just, (Sigh) Just nevermind. Before Tyler showed up, I was trying to tell you about Pseudo-Jinchurikis... or something like that. There are a few Pseudo-Jinchurikis in Konoha right now, and they are under our control... sort of. " said Tsunade.

"Sort of? SORT OF! Do you have ANY idea what kind of havoc a power like that can reek?" exclaimed Homura.

Tsunade looked over Homura's shoulder at the remaining damage from when Tyler had a fight with Ashley.

There was a huge boarded up gaping hole that took up most of the wall and part of the ceiling. It would be that way until the carpenters got there to work on it.

"No. I have no idea." said Tsunade sarcastically.

"Well you better get an idea, or else." said Homura.

"Tch. Or else what?" asked Tsunade.

"Or else we will revoke your seat as Hokage." said Koharu.

"What?" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Well, those two do have enough influence with the elders to get enough votes." said Shikaku.

"Alright alright take it easy! I have an ANBU detail on the matter as we speak. Seeing that our ANBU were trained on a regimen you agree with, you should have faith in their assignment to such an important task." said Tsunade.

"Okay, that I am happy with." said Homura.

"But we had better see results." warned Koharu.

The two supervisors got up from their seats and made their way to the door.

"By the time of the next meeting, we want names, and we want answers." said Koharu.

The two left Tsunade's office, leaving the remaining counsel.

"Alright, now that they are gone, I can get down to business that I trust only you with." said Tsunade.

"I'm glad you have such trust in us Tsunade." said Tsume.

"Alright, here's a quick summary of what we are dealing with. There are foreign ninja from other hidden villages in Konoha, and they are of sudden and rapid abundance. We have no idea why they are here, but, like we discussed before, we believe that they are searching for Jinchuriki. Now aside from foreign ninja, we have gotten a tip from a certain source that there is to be a lot of Jinchuriki within Konoha before the end of the month." said Jiraiya.

"..."

"Do we basically have to sniff out the Jinchuriki and see who's side they're on?" asked Tsume.

"Well yes, but that is just the beginning of our problems. We DO know 2 confirmed Jinchurikis. But they are both currently in very unstable states." said Jiraiya.

"Unstable? What does that mean? Be more specific." said Shikaku.

"One of the Jinchuriki could transform into their Bijuu at any time, and the other might do the same if nothing is done to help them." said Jiraiya.

There was a silence among the group with many surprised faces.

"Alright then, so let's help them." said Choza.

"We can't." said Jiraiya.

"Why not?" asked Choza.

"Because Tsunade is a drunk." said Jiraiya.

The heat coming from Tsunade told Jiraiya there was an imminent pounding coming his way.

"I mean, They were both accidentally sent on a mission to the Land of Snow. So there is no way of contacting or reaching them. But we have sent an elite team to stop them and bring them back as soon as possible." said Jiraiya.

"So... once they are back, we can treat them?" asked Shibi.

"Well, we definitely know how to treat one of them, but the other is in a state that is entirely new to us. We have no idea whether or not we will be able to treat him." said Tsunade.

"So, even you and Shizune can't... Wait. Where did Shizune go?" asked Tsume.

Tsunade looked to her right, and to her surprise, she was gone.

"She left near the start of the meeting. She said something about this not concerning her, and to let her know how it went." said Jiraiya.

An angry tic appeared on Tsunade's forehead.

"She's playing hooky? Tch. I'll teach her a lesson later. But right now, we have to decide how to handle all of this." said Tsunade.

"Well, we all agree that the ANBU is handling the foreign ninja and Pseudo-Jinchuriki situation for now, and we all know that the only thing we can do for the unstable Jinchuriki is to wait for them to return. Our future actions cannot be decided without more information. We can't just blindly rush into anything. So we will wait for now." said Shikaku.

With that, every nodded, trusting Shikaku's sharp wits and judgment.

"Okay. Thank you all very much." said Tsunade.

"And Tsunade, as for Orochimaru... We trust that you will make the right decision." said Shibi.

Tsunade blinked at the usually quiet Aburame.

"Thank you... That means a lot. It really does." said Tsunade softly.

"Alright, what does the other half of the counsel have to say to this?" asked Jiraiya.

The other half of the counsel, which consisted of elders said nothing.

"...Well?" asked Jiraiya.

"..."

"This is strange. I hadn't noticed this until just now, but the elder half of the counsel hasn't said anything this entire meeting." said Tsunade.

"That is because they are not the elder counsel, they are my shadow clones." said Shikaku.

Suddenly they all disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What?" asked Tsunade.

"The elders don't even know this meeting is going on." said Choza.

"The only ones who know are us, Koharu, and Homura." said Tsume.

"We have all our loose ends tied up. We are on your side." said Shikaku.

"And we trust that your two strange friends will keep this to themselves?" asked Shibi.

Tsunade blinked for a moment before smiling.

"Yes. I believe I can take care of those two." said Tsunade.

She looked around at the lot before her.

She had friends. And she knew it was always nice to have friends.

"This meeting is adjourned." said Tsunade.

"Tsunade!" exclaimed a voice.

A small pug with a blue cape rushed in the door.

Everyone looked at the small dog.

"Oh. When I saw the two guards unconscious on the floor, I feared the worst." said Pakkun.

Pakkun jumped up onto Tsunade's desk.

"I have a message for you from Kakashi." said Pakkun.

Pakkun dropped a hollow kunai onto her desk.

_'Kakashi? He's with Naruto!'_ thought Tsunade.

She quickly grabbed the kunai and emptied the letter onto her desk.

She picked it up, unfolded it, and immediately began reading it.

Dear Tsunade.

We are doing fine here.

Everyone is healthy and in good condition.

But I have some concerns about Naruto and Hinata.

I'll start with Naruto.

I believe that there is some kind of issue with Naruto's furry friend.

He seems to be incredibly unstable.

He has had several moody outbursts, resulting in him leaking the red chakra.

It has taken a bit of thinking, but I believe that these outbursts are triggered by Naruto's emotions.

Anger or any other overwhelming emotion seems to trigger an explosion of the red chakra output into Naruto's system.

Each time the results seem to get more and more violent.

And then there's Hinata.

I remember that Hinata's Bijuu is supposed to awaken soon.

But I guess it's not that soon since you let her go on such a lengthy mission.

Are there any symptoms prior to the awakening?

I want to know any forthcoming symptoms I should be looking for, and if there is anything I can do to help her when or if they start acting up.

At this point all I can do is try to keep things calm and await your orders concerning these issues.

That is all.

Please immediately respond.

-Kakashi

After Tsunade read the letter, she turned to look at Jiraiya.

Having been at Tsunade's side to see the letter Jiraiya nodded to her.

Tsunade nodded, immediately took out a piece of paper and began scribbling down a message.

"Tsunade? Is everything alright?" asked Choza.

Tsunade said nothing and continued writing.

After she finished, she quickly folded the letter, and stuffed it into the kunai.

"Pakkun, I am sorry to ask this of you after such a long journey, but this needs to be immediately sent to Kakashi. It is a matter of life and death that this gets to him as quickly as possible." said Tsunade.

The worry and seriousness on her face told Pakkun that the situation was even more urgent then she portrayed it.

"Yes Lady Hokage. I will deliver this message with all of my speed and agility." said Pakkun.

Pakkun grabbed the kunai and quickly jumped out the window behind Tsunade.

With Pakkun out the window, and the urgency on Tsunade's face, the present counsel was now on their feet.

"Tsunade? What is it?" asked Tsume.

"Yes Tsunade, What did that message say?" asked Shikaku.

"That letter was from Kakashi. He... told me that Naruto was becoming unstable." said Tsunade.

"So... Naruto is one of the two unstable Jinchuriki you were talking about?" asked Shibi.

"..."

Tsunade crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

"I know fairly well that you all guessed that Naruto was one of the two Jinchuriki from the start." said Tsunade.

"Who is the other Jinchuriki then?" asked Tsume.

"It would be best to let us know everything you can." said Shibi.

Shikaku nodded in agreement.

Tsunade sighed.

"Well, I have already promised that I would not reveal to anyone but a select few about who the second Jinchuriki is... And unfortunately, I have already had to inform more than enough people. I am sorry, I cannot tell you." said Tsunade.

"That's alright, we understand, and we know you will be able to handle this." said Tsume.

Tsunade blinked in surprise.

She had expected them to blow up in her face about keeping it a secret... especially Tsume.

"Alright, Tsunade. All we can do is wait for them to return." said Shikaku.

"And until then, I have other things to deal with. Thank you for everything." said Tsunade.

Tsunade moved around her desk and walked to the door with Jiraiya close behind her.

"Tsunade, shouldn't you..." began Jiraiya.

Without hesitation, Tsunade swiftly left the room.

Jiraiya stopped at the doorway and nodded to everyone before following Tsunade.

_'I bet I know what she is thinking about right now...'_ thought Jiraiya.

_'(Sigh) Naruto...'_ thought Tsunade.

* * *

-The Shinobi Bar.-

Not exactly bustling with life at the moment, but it was enough to keep its new managers busy.

"Table 4's order is in! Table 3 needs their baskets! Table 19 needs to be cleared! Order #90 is just in!" exclaimed Hanabi.

"I'm on it!" said Konohamaru.

Konohamaru had been helping Hanabi all day. It wasn't this hard most of the time, but when it was busy, it was BUSY.

He helped by taking the orders, handing out the food and drinks, and cleaning up the tables.

Hanabi kept herself busy by cooking the food, handling the orders themselves, and bartending.

It had been a hard experience for her, but a good one.

She learned a lot about responsibilities and cooking.

It took her forever to learn how to cook each dish that was on the menu, but once she got them down, they weren't so bad.

After the morning rush had passed, most of the people had left the bar.

Konohamaru came up to the bar and sat down, nearly out of breathe.

"So, is that it for the orders?" asked Hanabi.

"...Yeah, it has slowed down now that breakfast time is over." said Konohamaru.

"(Sigh) That's good." said Hanabi in relief.

They both plopped their heads down onto the bar counter.

"This is hard work, but we are being paid quite generously to do this." said Hanabi.

"Yeah..." said Konohamaru.

They both sat in a bit of silence.

"The other day... When... um... when you first a-agreed to help me..." began Hanabi.

"Yeah? What about it?" asked Konohamaru.

_'Don't stutter, don't stutter! You aren't like you're sister in that way! You are filled to the brim with Hyuuga pride and self-respect!' _thought Hanabi.

"I was... um... you... you said that you w-wanted to go on a... on a d-date with me." said Hanabi quietly.

"Oh... You know... if you really aren't interested in me... I'd understand..." began Konohamaru in disappointment.

"N-no! That's n-not it at all!" exclaimed Hanabi hurriedly.

Konohamaru blinked in surprise.

"Well what is it then?" asked Konohamaru.

_'I have to get him to tell me... I have to know why...'_ thought Hanabi.

"Well... Um... B-Before you asked me... Did you... Did you think about it?" asked Hanabi quickly.

"What? What do you mean?" asked Konohamaru.

"Um... Did you... th-think about... me... Before you asked?" asked Hanabi quickly.

Hanabi's face was flushing red, she felt so embarrassed, but she also felt another feeling. A good one.

"Um... Yeah... yeah I did." said Konohamaru with a blush.

"So... w-why... um... why me?" asked Hanabi.

"What do you mean?" asked Konohamaru in confusion.

"Well... um... of all the girls... w-why do you w-want to go... to go out with... with m-me?" asked Hanabi.

She cursed herself, she couldn't help but stutter when she talked to Konohamaru. He made her get all jittery and nervous, she could feel her heart pound when she talked to him.

The question itself seemed to surprise Konohamaru. He never expected Hanabi to ask him such a thing.

"Um... well. I know you. We have spent plenty of time together in class, and I... I guess I just really like you." said Konohamaru.

Hanabi's eyes went a little wide in surprise, and her face turned a light red.

"Aw. That's so cute. Now kiss her." said a voice.

Hanabi and Konohamaru blushed deeply.

They turned to see that three Shinobi now stood at the bar, the one that had talked wore pure black clothes with purple face paint.

"Kankurou! Stop teasing them!" scolded Temari.

"Why? Look how embarrassed they are!" said Kankurou.

"W-we aren't embarrassed!" exclaimed Hanabi.

"Oh yes you are! Especially you girl! Just look how red your cheeks are!" said Kankurou.

"Sh-shut up!" stammered Hanabi.

Her face was growing redder, although it wasn't from embarrassment alone.

Her Hyuuga pride was being tested, and she was growing angry.

"Hanabi, don't let him frazzle you..." whispered Konohamaru.

"I bet just the thought of him kissing you would cause you to faint!" teased Kankurou.

"B-but... no! I... wouldn't... I wouldn't faint!" exclaimed Hanabi angrily.

Her fists were clenched in frustration, she was going to lose to her anger.

Konohamaru's face now began to blush at the direction this random conversation was taking.

"Kankurou! I said to knock it off!" said Temari.

Kankurou ignored her.

"Oh yeah? You would too faint! I can't even imagine how you would react if you actually kissed him!" laughed Kankurou tauntingly.

Hanabi's face flushed even redder from anger and embarrassment.

"Wha! I..." stammered Hanabi.

She looked over at Konohamaru, who was looking back at her.

"Hanabi... don't let them bother you..." began Konohamaru.

"You couldn't even get through one kiss with him!" taunted Kankurou.

"I... I could too!" yelled Hanabi.

"What?" asked Konohamaru in surprise.

"You would not, you would faint like a weak-minded amorous girly girl." taunted Kankurou.

"I would not!" shouted Hanabi.

"You wouldn't faint eh? Prove it!" said Kankurou.

"F-FINE!" shouted Hanabi.

"What?" exclaimed Konohamaru.

Hanabi grabbed Konohamaru by his shoulders and quickly pulled him in front of her.

Then she closed her eyes and thrust herself at him.

Her lips met his and she immediately wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"Mmm!" exclaimed Konohamaru.

They stayed like that for a few moments before Hanabi pulled back and looked into Konohamaru's face, realizing what she had just done.

"Ha... Ha... Hanabi..." whispered Konohamaru quietly.

His eyes were wide, staring into her eyes which were now wide as well.

"Ha! Manipulating people is fun. Well, I guess I'll just let you two realize what you've just done to each other." said Kankurou with a chuckle.

Kankurou got up from his chair and walked to the door.

"Come on let's go, we never should have stopped anyway." said Kankurou with a smirk.

Temari got up and faced Kankurou, putting her hands on her hips.

"You think you're so smart Kankurou. At least these children don't normally walk around in pitch-black pajamas..." said Temari.

"It's a baggy jumpsuit, and you know it." said Kankurou in a huff.

"(Sigh) Come on, we should really get to Tsunade." said Baki.

"(Sigh) Fine." said Temari.

Baki slowly made his way to the door, earning Kankorou's impatience.

"Come on, we gotta go." complained Kankurou.

"Yeah yeah, whatever doll-boy." said Baki.

"They're puppets and you know it!" said Kankurou angrily.

The three shinobi left the bar. The only ones left were Hanabi, Konohamaru, and a few people people sitting in the tables near the back of the bar.

Hanabi still had her arms wrapped around Konohamaru, and they were both staring into each others eyes.

They were both so surprised that it had happened, that they didn't know what to do now that they had done it.

"You... You kissed me." stammered Konohamaru in shock.

Hanabi face flushed red in deeper realization.

Her eyes were wide and she wasn't moving in the slightest.

"Hanabi... I... I really liked it..." began Konohamaru bashfully.

He had to admit, it was quite bold of him to do what he was thinking of doing.

His heart was pounding so hard, the stress from the situation was already so high, but he had to do one thing for sure.

Hanabi was practically glowing red, but she couldn't move from her position.

"And um... well... Would you... would you let me kiss you?" asked Konohamaru with a deep blush.

She was completely motionless, frozen in place and as red as a cherry.

Konohamaru closed his eyes and moved in.

Her mind was racing, her heart was pounding, a kiss was different when it wasn't on a thoughtless impulse.

It seemed like an eternity to her, but finally his lips pressed against hers.

Hanabi's eyes widened as far as possible.

Her brain had reached it's limit.

"AaaaAAAAAHHHH!" screamed Hanabi.

She threw her head forward very quickly, and her forehead collided with Konohamaru's, sending him flying into the wall across the room.

Hanabi's vision faded, and her face met the floor.

The two teens lay on the wooden floor of the bar, out cold.

Two patrons in the bar who had been watching the entire scene, got up from their seats and walked over to the two children unconscious on the floor.

The woman of the two patrons knelt down next to Hanabi.

"This seems very familiar somehow..." said Shizune.

The man of the two patrons knelt down next to Konohamaru.

"How so?" asked Iruka.

"...Nevermind. Lets just get these two home." said Shizune.

"But who will run the bar?" asked Iruka.

"...These two children were running the bar?" asked Shizune incredulously.

"Yes, they were doing it yesterday too." said Iruka.

"..."

"Is that even legal for children their age to run a bar?" asked Shizune.

"I dunno. I would think that you would know seeing that you work with a politician all day." said Iruka.

"Just because I work with one, doesn't mean I know everything." said Shizune.

"(Sigh) I know, but I just figured you would." said Iruka.

Shizune and Iruka looked around the bar. There weren't many people in at the moment, but lunch time had yet to come.

"So, what are we going to do about the bar? It's almost lunch time and there will be plenty of people swarming in here." said Shizune.

Iruka paused for a moment.

"I think I know a guy who would be willing to do me a favor." said Iruka.

* * *

The forest was quiet, the air was calm, and temperature was fine.

It was indeed a lovely morning.

Four tents laid out in a small open field, all containing sleeping Shinobi.

But in Kakashi's North-facing tent, one of the Shinobi was waking up.

"Ah..." yawned Anko.

She sat up in her sleeping bag and stretched by reaching her hands as high as they could go.

Once she finished she plopped them back down onto her lap.

"Ah. That felt good." sighed Anko happily.

She looked to her left to see Kurenai awkwardly sprawled out underneath her sleeping bag.

_'What happened to her? It doesn't look like she slept very well.'_ thought Anko.

Suddenly, Anko felt something soft and velvety rub up against her upper thigh.

"What the..." muttered Anko.

She unzipped her sleeping bag to see a weasel curled up, sleeping against her underpants.

"Itachi, you pervert!" exclaimed Anko.

"What? who?" mumbled Itachi.

He was half-awake, and he thought he heard a voice.

"Get out!" exclaimed Anko.

Itachi felt himself being scooped up, carried, and then thrown.

* * *

-Sasuke's tent-

Sasuke was trying to sleep, but he thought he had heard a very loud voice.

_'Who's making noise?'_ thought Sasuke in irritation.

He sat up from his sleeping bag and rubbed his eyes.

"What was that sound?" asked Sasuke.

"It was the sound of nobody caring, now go back to bed." mumbled Yamato.

Before Sasuke could respond, there was a loud "smack" sound.

They both looked to see the shadow outline of a weasel, spread-eagle up against the outside of the tent flap.

The shadow slowly slid down the tent until it hit the ground and fell backwards into the grass.

Sasuke and Yamato blinked.

Sasuke got out of his sleeping bag.

He opened the tent flap to find Hinata's weasel laying on the floor with dizzy spirals in his eyes.

(Sweatdrop)

Sasuke got back in the tent and closed it.

"It was Hinata's weasel." said Sasuke.

"Hinata's weasel? She doesn't have..." began Yamato.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at Yamato.

"I mean... Oh, What was it doing?" asked Yamato as inconspicuously as possible.

_'Hm...'_ thought Sasuke in suspicion.

"Well, seeing that it is a Shinobi, I guess it was trying some kind of technique. It must have lost control and accidentally launched itself at our tent." guessed Sasuke.

"Or, seeing that it is a weasel, maybe it just got over-excited and flung itself at our tent." suggested Yamato.

"...Whatever." muttered Sasuke.

Sasuke pulled his shirt on, and left Yamato in the tent.

He walked out to find an angry Anko standing outside, wearing only boxers and a bra.

"Ha! You little perverted weasel! That should teach ya!" exclaimed Anko triumphantly.

"..."

"Teach me what?" asked Sasuke.

"Hm? I was talking to Ita... I mean Hinata's weasel. I woke up and it was in between my thighs." said Anko.

"In between... you're thighs..." said Sasuke.

"Yeah! The little perv!" exclaimed Anko.

"But it's just a weasel." said Sasuke.

_'Uh huh... Sure it is...'_ thought Anko.

"Whatever." muttered Anko.

"..."

Sasuke picked up the weasel's limp unconscious body and looked at it.

"This weasel... feels familiar... Not by looks or touch but... something else..." muttered Sasuke.

_'Oh no! He's going to notice! I've got to distract him!'_ thought Anko.

"Excuse me Sasuke, but I'm going to strip naked now." said Anko.

Sasuke immediately dropped the weasel and his eyes became extremely wide.

Yamato and Kakashi suddenly scrambled out of their tents.

Anko gave Yamato and Kakashi a weird look.

"I was just um... forgot my vest." muttered Yamato awkwardly.

Yamato hurried back into his tent.

Anko turned and looked at Kakashi.

"What? I wanted to see you strip naked." said Kakashi.

Anko's face flushed red in embarrassment.

"..."

"Well, if you aren't going to do anything, I'm going back to bed for a bit longer." said Kakashi.

Kakashi ducked back into his tent, leaving her alone with Sasuke again.

(Awkward silence.)

"Um... I'd better get dressed." said Anko.

Anko hurried back into Kakashi's tent, but quickly flew back out with her face completely red.

Kakashi peeked his head out of the tent.

"You should ask if someone is changing before entering a tent." said Kakashi.

Kakashi walked out of their tent, already completely dressed.

"You should get dressed too Anko." said Kakashi.

Anko blankly nodded and ducked into the tent.

Kakashi paused for a moment and popped his head back into their tent.

"Mind if I watch?" asked Kakashi.

(Smack!)

Kakashi came back out with a red hand-shaped mark on his face.

"Kurenai woke up." said Kakashi.

Kakashi walked to the circle of logs, and sat down on the log nearest to his tent.

Sasuke shook himself out of his stupor.

He turned back to the ring of logs to see that Anko was gone.

Sasuke calmed his mind, and sat down next to Kakashi.

_'What was that all about? For a moment, something took over me... I couldn't look away from her. I knew that it was improper, and I barely know Anko, but the prospect of seeing a naked woman... I'm not that weak... Am I?'_ thought Sasuke.

Kakashi looked over at Sasuke, knowing very well that he was deep in thought.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Kakashi.

"I slept alright I suppose." said Sasuke.

"I was wondering, because sometimes Yamato can wake you up with his wood techniques." said Kakashi.

"…"

"That… That wasn't to be perverted in any way. Just so you know." said Kakashi.

"That doesn't get rid of the mental images now plaguing my mind, Kakashi." said Sasuke.

"…"

A 10 minute silence went by, and there was no conversation.

They just listened to the morning sounds of the forest.

They heard the birds chirping, the leaves rustling, and the wind gently blowing by.

They relaxed themselves as they attuned their ears to the sounds around them.

"Neji! Quit it! If you are that rough so Sud… (gasp) s-suddenly, they will hear me…" whispered Ten Ten blissfully.

"Just relax Ten. Let me please you." whispered Neji.

Sasuke and Kakashi's faces both turned red.

"Oh Neji… I love it when you feel me like that…" whispered Ten Ten.

"Do they know we can hear them?" whispered Sasuke awkwardly.

"No, but we need to let them know." whispered Kakashi.

"Alright, but be discreet about it." whispered Sasuke.

"(Cough)(Cough) We can hear you two in there! (Cough!)(Cough!)" said Kakashi.

"…"

"Oh yeah Kakashi. That was really stealthy." said Sasuke sarcastically.

"Was he talking to us?" whispered Ten Ten.

"Yes. We were. The tents are made of thin fabric. We can hear everything you do." said Kakashi.

"I don't get why they don't just apply a silence seal." said Sasuke.

"…"

"Hello?" asked Sasuke.

Sasuke waited for a response.

"I would guess that they applied a silence seal." said Kakashi.

"..."

"Well, that ruins that fun." sighed Kakashi.

'_Kakashi really is such a pervert…'_ thought Sasuke.

"…I think I'm going to go on a walk." said Sasuke.

"Take Yamato with you." said Kakashi.

Yamato spawned out of nowhere with a smile on his face.

"I'm going on a walk to take a piss." said Sasuke.

"I don't care if you're going on a walk to hump a tree, you're going to take Yamato with you." said Kakashi.

"..."

"(Sigh) Alright fine. But when I piss, you had better be watching me from behind." muttered Sasuke.

"Why, is that a fantasy of yours?" joked Kakashi.

Sasuke just glared at Kakashi.

"I'm not a pervert like Kakashi-sempai, but I will watch you diligently." said Yamato.

Sasuke sighed and headed out of camp with Yamato following him closely.

* * *

Anko was fitting her snug and very small black shirt over head, trying to carefully squeeze it on.

Kurenai, who had awoken thanks to Kakashi, was already dressed, but was trying to fix her hair.

"Gah!" exclaimed Anko.

Anko had finally gotten her small t-shirt on.

Anko looked up from her shirt, to notice Kurenai quickly turn away from her.

"…Hey Kurenai." said Anko.

Kurenai looked back at her and blinked. She was a little surprised that Anko was talking to her.

"Yes Anko?" asked Kurenai.

"…You've known Kakashi for a long time right?" asked Anko.

"Um… Yeah. I've known him since I was a Genin. What of it?" asked Kurenai.

"Well… He seems like this really cool guy and all, but I can't help but feel that he could be fake." said Anko.

"...What do you mean?" asked Kurenai.

"I mean… Kakashi may act cool, and say cool things… But is he really always that cool?" asked Anko.

"Well… That depends on what you think cool is." said Kurenai.

Anko suddenly honed in with interest.

"I like snakes, and Icha Icha, and sweet buns, and cool guys, and destroying stuff, and rock music..." began Anko quickly.

"I'll stop you right there." said Kurenai quickly.

_'She might never have stopped if I hadn't said something...'_ thought Kurenai.

"But I wasn't done." whined Anko.

"That's all the data I need." said Kurenai.

"Okay... Data for what?" asked Anko.

"I think I've seen just about everything that has happened so far between you and Kakashi this mission. Based on your interactions, do you think that he is cool?" asked Kurenai.

"Well... yeah. He's always smart, calm, and collective. He has a good sense of humor and he's laid back. He loves the same books that I do, and he is really attractive!" exclaimed Anko.

Kurenai paused for a moment, studying Anko.

'_She really likes him…'_ thought Kurenai.

She looked at Anko's face.

(X3)

She had both her hands clenched into fists, holding them right under her face.

Anko was always excited about everything, but she had never shown any interest toward any men, so this surprised her.

_'I have never seen Anko have any sort of fulfillment in her life aside from her work... Maybe letting her experiment with a relationship status would help her out...'_ thought Kurenai.

But she knew that she also liked Kakashi... But then again, she was considering not going back to him.

'_Maybe… I could help her out just a bit. Just this once I... I guess I can help her a little.'_ thought Kurenai.

"Well Anko, as long as I have known Kakashi, he's ways been like that. He's not afraid to express himself, and shows it daily by publicly reading those books of his. But there are also other things about him, things that are bad." said Kurenai.

Suddenly Anko perked up.

"Really?" asked Anko excitedly.

Kurenai blinked in surprise.

"Well, yes. He is chronically late, he is known to be lazy, and he is quite the ladies man. He has never officially gone out with anyone, although it is rumored that he is highly desirable among certain groups of women. A lot of women have attempted to get his attention, and have failed." said Kurenai.

Anko narrowed her eyes, examining Kurenai for a few seconds.

"Really?" asked Anko.

"Yes, really." said Kurenai.

"…"

"Sqeee! I knew it! He's awesome!" exclaimed Anko happily.

(Sweatdrop)

'_Anko, you sure are a weird one.' _thought Kurenai.

* * *

-Naruto's tent-

Naruto felt good, a lot better than usual.

Everything felt so soft... so warm... so completely cuddly.

_'Mmm... Must snuggle...'_ thought Naruto.

He buried his face into his pillow and rubbed his face back and forth.

"(Giggle) Naruto..." mumbled a voice.

The voice that spoke was directly into his ear.

Naruto opened his eyes in surprise.

His eyes focused and recognized Hinata's beautiful face.

Naruto smiled in realization and pulled Hinata close again.

"Mnn... Naruto..." mumbled Hinata.

_'She's so cute... Waking up to her makes everything else seem so unimportant.'_ thought Naruto.

"Yes Naruto..." mumbled Hinata.

_'I wonder what she's dreaming about?'_ thought Naruto.

"Mnn... Yes, rub it like that... Naruto..." mumbled Hinata sexily.

Naruto's hair suddenly stood up on end, while his face flushed red.

Hinata began to grip her body tightly around him, rubbing her hips back and forth very subtly against his.

"Hi... Hiii... Hiiiii-Hinata!" yelped Naruto.

Hinata stopped moving and woke with a start.

"Wha... mnn..." mumbled Hinata.

She sat up slightly, but after a few moments, cuddled back into Naruto.

"Mnn... Five more minutes... good dream..." mumbled Hinata.

Naruto turned a brighter red.

_**"Ha! Look at that! She really has taken an old-fashion sexual-shine to you!"**_ laughed Kyuubi.

_'Shut up! I need to wake her up, and I can't think when you're talking to me!' _complained Naruto.

_**"The reason you can't think isn't because of me talking, it's your hormones that are doing that."**_ said Kyuubi.

_'What?'_ asked Naruto.

_**"Think about it... rather, think about Hinata for a moment. Her curvy curvy hips, her perfect complexion, her recent sleeping habits."**_ said Kyuubi.

Naruto flushed red, he could feel his whole body start to heat up.

_'I said to stop it...'_ mumbled Naruto.

_**"It's not me who is distracting you. It's called untamed lust, and you've got to learn how to control it. I would laugh at your expense, but it looks as though I have to be going now."**_ said Kyuubi.

Kyuubi's visage disappeared from his mind, but before Naruto could ask why, he felt something wet touch his cheek.

Hinata was in Naruto's face with her tongue licking Naruto's cheek like a popsicle.

Naruto was frozen in surprise, which would let her do whatever she wanted.

Suddenly she stopped.

Hinata was mumbling something, but then she suddenly fell back to the sleeping bag floor, and rested her head against Naruto's chest.

Naruto shook himself from his stupor and looked down at her.

She cuddled herself close to him.

Naruto was in a nervous suspense, wondering what she would do next.

After a few moments, Hinata stopped moving and her breathing slowed back down.

"Naru..." mumbled Hinata.

Naruto blushed in realization and smiled at her.

She was so cute when she was asleep, and she was even cuddled up against him.

_'This is one of our first times sleeping in the same bed together... on purpose anyways...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto let himself lay back down onto the sleeping bag with Hinata, wrapping his arms around her gently.

_'Hinata...'_ thought Naruto contently.

He felt himself getting tired again, the peace from the situation seemingly flowing from Hinata's warm body.

"Mmm... Hinata... I wish we could stay like this forever... I feel so wonderful..." began Naruto.

Naruto moved one arm out from underneath Hinata, and held her head to his chest.

He looked down at her head, only seeing a lot of her hair from that angle.

As Naruto focused on Hinata, he began to feel something.

Something felt off. Something was wrong.

Naruto could feel the comfort slipping away from him, being only replaced by sudden fear and uncertainty.

There was something emanating from Hinata's body.

He immediately tried to concentrate on it.

He could make out something in his mind, but he couldn't tell what it was.

He knew that if he wanted to see what this was, he would have to concentrate a lot harder.

Naruto gathered his chakra carefully and tried to delve deeper into whatever he was seeing.

Suddenly Naruto's mind flashed into a blank nothingness, an embodiment of himself before a large whiteness.

_'What happened?'_ thought Naruto.

His thoughts echoed about the nothingness, as though proving that no one other than himself could answer his question.

_'I've been here before... I think it's my mind...'_ thought Naruto.

Suddenly the whiteness flashed into an embodiment of a roaring and never-ending blue inferno.

Beautifully burning flames were all about him. Although potentially calming and mesmerizing, is was also dangerous and searingly loud.

_'What is this!'_ thought Naruto.

Unlike before, his thoughts were now drowned out by the sound of the roaring flames.

He was barely able to hear himself think.

Suddenly, an sound escaped the roar of the flames, faintly calling out to him.

"Naruto..."

The voice startled Naruto in a number of ways.

Upon the chaos of the fire, was the voice of Hinata.

"Hinata? Hinata!" yelled Naruto.

Naruto waited for an answer, but there was no response to him.

After a few moment he could make out a figure in the flames, approaching him slowly.

Hinata's body now appeared among the flames, it was only a matter of time before the flames would engulf and incinerate her.

"Help me Naruto... Help me..." said Hinata.

"Hinata! Get out of there!" yelled Naruto.

"Naruto... You have to help me... I am going to die..." said Hinata.

Naruto desperately sprinted towards the flames, but he never got any closer to them, no matter how hard he tried.

It was like he was on a treadmill.

"Hinata! I'll get you out of there! I'll save you!" yelled Naruto.

Naruto couldn't tell if she could hear him or not.

She looked non-responsive, looking only straight ahead, as if that direction was her fate.

"I cannot escape this. Only you can save me... Naruto." said Hinata.

"Hinata! HINATA!" screamed Naruto.

Suddenly everything flashed white again, leaving him in the empty abyss once more.

But this time it didn't give him time to think.

The white around him began to focus to color.

He was beginning to see and he was beginning to feel.

He realized that whatever was happening in his mind was ending, and that he was beginning to come back to reality.

He felt cold and sweaty. It wasn't a good feeling. He felt sick to his stomach and he felt a bit dizzy.

He vision finally came to focus, and he saw several things he didn't expect at the campsite.

The first thing that he noticed was that his tent had a gaping hole in it.

It looked as though someone had torn right through it.

The second thing he noticed was that everyone was gathered around his tent, staring at him, and at a clump of his tent on the ground near the fire pit.

Kakashi and Anko were at his left, while Kurenai stood to his right.

Kakashi stepped forward and kneeled down next to Naruto to look him over.

"Naruto? What happened? What was all the screaming about?" asked Kakashi in worry.

"S-screaming? I don't..." began Naruto.

He stopped talking when he saw the clump of tent near the fire pit move.

He recognized it as a person based on how it moved.

But he began to recognize key features in the movements.

It moved gently with care and grace. Timidly, yet with precision.

It was then that he immediately realized who it was.

"Hinata!" exclaimed Naruto.

Naruto jumped out of Hinata's sleeping bag, and pushed past Kakashi.

He ran to the clump of tent, kneeling down next to Hinata.

He took off the tent material on top to reveal Hinata, looking directly at him.

It caught him off guard for a moment.

"N-Naruto? W-What happened? What w-was that all ab-bout?" asked Hinata shakily.

When Hinata asked him that question, it made his heart feel grieved with worry.

"What was what all about? What happened here?" asked Naruto in confusion.

Hinata looked at him in confusion.

"Um... That's what I w-want to know..." said Hinata.

"I honestly don't know what happened, Why is the tent ripped? Why are you out here? Are you alright?." asked Naruto quickly.

Hinata could tell that Naruto was deeply worried about her, and that warmed her heart.

But she was conflicted.

"I was... um... We were..." began Hinata.

She looked at all of the eyes watching her, judging her.

Certainly they were her teammates and they meant well, but she couldn't help but feel embarrassed.

She couldn't just talk about sleeping so close to Naruto.

She might not make it through the whole experience consciously.

"We were? We were what Hinata? Tell us what happened." said Kurenai.

"Yeah. All I heard was Naruto screaming your name." said Anko.

_'Kinky...'_ thought Anko.

Naruto blinked in surprise.

"I didn't scream anything... I was asleep." said Naruto in confusion.

_'Kinkier...'_ thought Anko.

"N-no... You did scream... Naruto..." said Hinata quietly.

"I-I did?" asked Naruto.

Hinata nodded.

"Well... Tell me what happened." said Naruto in concern.

"Yes, lets hear it." said Anko with a perverted grin.

Everyone was looking at Hinata now.

Hinata didn't need all of this attention, it made her very nervous.

She didn't want to let everyone that they slept in the same sleeping bag, but she didn't want to lie either.

"I... was j-just um... laying in my sleeping bag, when you s-suddenly... shouted my n-name twice... v-very loudly." said Hinata.

_'He likes humping while he sleeps?'_ thought Anko.

Naruto blinked.

He didn't remember shouting at her.

"I quickly s-sat up in my sleeping bag, but b-before I could... Before I could f-figure out what was happening, y-you shouted again." said Hinata quietly.

_'He likes to shout during...'_ thought Anko.

_'That dream... Maybe...'_ thought Naruto.

"What did I shout?" asked Naruto.

"B-before I could figure out w-what was going on... You suddenly screamed: Hinata! Get out of there!" said Hinata.

_'Fire in the hole!'_ thought Anko.

Everyone blinked in surprise and looked at Naruto.

"I... I-I was so startled, that I tried g-getting out of wherever I was... as... as fast as I could." said Hinata quietly in embarrassment.

"So you flew out through the tent wall, and got tangled up in it as you tripped." said Kakashi.

_'Oh. OH! Wait... this had nothing to do with sex... Hinata had her clothes on when she flew out...'_ thought Anko in disappointment.

Hinata's face turned red, and she looked down at her lap in embarrassment.

"Naruto! What in the world were you thinking? How could you intentionally scare Hinata like that?" exclaimed Kurenai.

"Yeah! The hell is your problem?" exclaimed Anko.

"I didn't do it on purpose! I was... having a bad dream I guess..." said Naruto.

"A bad dream? Is this funny to you! You probably scared the poor girl half to death! How could you!" scolded Kurenai.

_'Half to death...'_ thought Naruto.

The images of Hinata in those blue flames were fresh in Naruto's mind.

He wasn't happy about what the whole mental ordeal could possibly mean.

"It was a bad dream..." repeated Naruto.

_'Naruto was having a bad dream... A nightmare bad enough to make him scream in his sleep. Kyuubi is probably responsible then...'_ thought Kakashi.

Before Kurenai could continue scolding him, Kakashi spoke up.

"Well, we can't blame you for your tormentor giving you nightmares." said Kakashi.

Everyone's eyes widened slightly in realization.

Except Anko.

"Tormentor?" asked Anko.

Naruto's suddenly tail swept out in front of him, startling everyone around him.

He hugged his tail to his chest, looking at the ground.

"I don't mean to worry everyone all of the time..." said Naruto quietly.

The tail was the ultimate reminder of Naruto's demon.

"Oh my God! Naruto! You have a tail?" exclaimed Yamato.

Everyone looked at him weird.

"You didn't know?" asked Kakashi.

"I'm supposed to know this? ...He's supposed to have a tail?" exclaimed Yamato in confusion.

"Just...(Sigh) Just nevermind..." sighed Kakashi.

"Naruto..." said Hinata worriedly.

Hearing Hinata, they looked back to Naruto, who was still holding his tail for comfort.

"I really don't mean to worry you guys... They can just get intense... my dreams I mean..." said Naruto quietly.

"So... So Kyuubi gives you Nightmares?" asked Anko in surprise.

Naruto looked away from everyone and nodded slightly.

Everyone was a bit shocked to hear that Naruto got nightmares from Kyuubi. So nobody really knew what to say.

But Kurenai knew she felt awful for yelling at him.

"Oh Naruto, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have scolded you for... I didn't realize... I didn't think that..." began Kurenai in a fluster.

"It's okay Kurenai, I'm just glad that Hinata is okay." said Naruto.

Naruto looked from his tail to Hinata.

She was still a bit tangled up in the tent fabric, looking at him with a concerned frown.

"I'm sorry I scared you Hinata." said Naruto.

Naruto quickly got up from the ground and turned away from her.

He didn't want to face her. He felt badly about the whole thing. And he felt that it was all his fault for scaring her half to death.

Yet again, something bad happened because of Kyuubi.

_'Hinata... I scared her... and she hasn't even seen the scariest side of me...'_ thought Naruto.

Hinata wanted to say something, _anything_ to help Naruto feel better, but she couldn't think of what to say.

She looked down at her lap.

_'He feels bad for being what he is... He knows everyone has to worry about him, but he doesn't want them to. What could I say to make him feel better about it?'_ thought Hinata.

Hinata looked back up to see that instead of Naruto standing in front of her, it was Kakashi.

He was holding his hand out to her.

"Come on Hinata, up and at em." said Kakashi.

Hinata blinked in slight surprise, but grabbed his outstretched hand.

He pulled her onto her feet.

"There you go." said Kakashi.

Before Kakashi could assure her, and tell her everything was fine, Hinata spoke up.

"Where did Naruto go?" asked Hinata.

Kakashi studied her for a moment before speaking.

"He left the camp. He didn't say where he was going, but I'm sure he's going somewhere to think." said Kakashi.

-Out In the Forest-

_'That woman is completely inappropriate...' _thought Sasuke.

There was something about Anko in that moment that made him freeze up.

_'If it had been during a battle when that happened, I would have been dead...'_ thought Sasuke.

He did have some clue as to why it happened.

He felt the same effect when Sakura had kissed him, except this time there was something much more potent that made him freeze up. He just didn't know what it was.

_'I'll have to talk to Kakashi about this... It won't be a comfortable conversation, but I need to ask someone of experience.'_ thought Sasuke

He continued to walk forward, thinking about other things that had been going on.

_'I showed up unexpectedly at their campsite, and there was nothing there that would point to Itachi's presence. And it's been the same the entire time I've been with them...'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke peered behind him for a moment.

Yamato was still keeping a vigilant eye on him.

_'Everyone seems to be keeping something from me... except maybe Naruto and Hinata.'_ thought Sasuke.

He paused when he saw a stream ahead, gently making its course through the forest.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom now." said Sasuke.

"Alright, just be sure to face away from me. And don't worry, I won't move from this spot." assured Yamato.

Sasuke nodded and walked up to a tree next to the stream.

_'Naruto and Hinata... I don't know what it is about those two, but it just feels like I can trust them on this one... Either Everyone is in on it except Hinata and Naruto, or there really is no trace of Itachi here...'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke undid his pants and made sure that he was facing away from Yamato.

As he expected, Yamato partially turned away out of the awkwardness of the situation.

_'Now is my chance...'_ thought Sasuke.

He took a piece pre-written parchment out of his pants pocket and dropped it into the stream.

_'This stream came down from the North near the Fire border, so...'_ thought Sasuke.

The paper, instead of going downstream and away from the Land of Fire, traveled against the current and went upstream.

_'Now all that is left is to wait...'_ thought Sasuke.

It was quite peaceful out in the forest.

No sounds except the birds chirping, trees waving, and the stream of water trickling down its path.

"..."

_'And now I really do need to go to the bathroom...'_ thought Sasuke.

"Are you about done yet?" asked Yamato.

"Just a moment." said Sasuke.

After half a minute, Sasuke set his pants back into place, then turned to Yamato.

"Alright, lets head back to camp." said Sasuke.

"Okay, lead the way. But you have to be ahead of me." said Yamato.

Yamato turned and immediately bumped into something.

Yamato stumbled back for a moment, and was surprised to see Naruto standing in front of him.

"Yamato. Sasuke. We're going." said Naruto.

Naruto turned and walked away from them, back towards camp.

"Naruto?" asked Yamato.

There was no response, he just kept walking away from them.

"What's wrong with him? He seemed very... solemn." said Yamato.

"I know, it is very unlike him." said Sasuke.

The both stood still, watching Naruto slowly and silently disappear from sight.

"..."

"Well, I guess that Kakashi wants to start moving again. Let's head back to camp." said Yamato.

Yamato and Sasuke arrived back at the campsite to find that everything was packed up, and everyone was ready to go.

"Naruto. Yamato. Sasuke. We are going to leave now, I hope you don't mind." said Kakashi.

Yamato blinked.

"Not at all." said Yamato.

_'Why would he tell Naruto that were are leaving? I thought Naruto already knew since he said we were going to leave...'_ thought Yamato.

_'Kakashi didn't tell Naruto that they were going to leave? How did he know then?'_ thought Sasuke.

Naruto walked by Kakashi, and Kakashi gave him a look of concern.

_'All the time Naruto spends with Kakashi, he must be able to read him pretty well...'_ thought Yamato.

Naruto walked over to his pack, which was being held up to him by Hinata.

Hinata wasn't smiling like she usually would.

She was wearing a smile, but it wasn't a real smile.

She was too worried about Naruto to really be happy.

"Here is your pack... Naruto..." said Hinata quietly.

"Arigato..." mumbled Naruto just as quietly.

Hinata frowned slightly at his reaction to her politeness.

He said thank you, but he didn't sound happy or grateful, he sounded depressed.

_'Naruto... I don't know what to say, but I want to make you feel better...'_ thought Hinata sadly.

_'Hinata is only trying to be nice... Naruto better watch himself...'_ thought Neji.

_'I hope Neji doesn't over react to that...' _thought Ten Ten.

Naruto turned his head slightly to see everyone watching them.

"Well? Are we going to go or not?" asked Naruto emotionlessly.

Kakashi looked at Naruto for a moment before nodding.

_'Naruto... Hinata better find a way to cheer you up...'_ thought Kakashi.

"Right. Lets get going." said Kakashi.

The sun had risen a long while ago, but the entire team was still worn out from their constant traveling the entire day prior.

She was pressed up against something warm, but she could feel that the air around her was pretty cold.

_'The forest...' _thought Sakura.

She remembered traveling, running into Gai, and Naruto...

_'Naruto!'_ thought Sakura.

She woke with a start, and quickly sat up.

She turned to see that the warm thing she was pressed against was Ino.

"Ugh! Ino!" whined Sakura.

Sakura stood up quickly and brushed herself off.

_'Uhck! I slept against Ino...' _thought Sakura in disgust.

Sakura stepped back from Ino, but tripped backwards.

She fell hard onto her back, and hit her head on the ground.

"Gah! What the..." mumbled Sakura.

She rubbed her head and looked up at what she tripped on.

_'Akamaru...' _thought Sakura.

Akamaru was looking up at her from the ground in irritation.

Akamaru whined at Sakura.

"Sorry Akamaru, I didn't see you there..." said Sakura.

Suddenly a bright light shined in her right eye, causing her to flinch.

She put her hand in front of her eyes to block the light, then faced the source.

The sun's light was finally making it all of the way through the dense foliage that made up the boughs of the trees.

_'Look how high the sun is already! We completely overslept!'_ thought Sakura.

Sakura turned and looked down to where she had slept.

"Ino." said Sakura.

Ino moved a bit on her sleeping bag, but she didn't respond.

"Ino come on, its time to get up." said Sakura.

Sakura nudged Ino's hip with her foot.

Ino rolled onto her back and spread her legs.

"Mmm... I like that... a little higher..." mumbled Ino.

Sakura's face flushed red.

"I-Ino? What the hell!" exclaimed Sakura.

Sakura kicked Ino really hard in her side, sending her rolling from her sleeping bag, onto the next sleeping bag.

"OW!" exclaimed Ino.

Ino held her side in pain, but realized she was on top of someone warm.

She opened her eyes to see Gaara's eyes inches away from her own.

"Can I help you?" asked Gaara.

"Gah!" cried Ino.

She flung up from Gaara's sleeping bag, and landed on her feet in surprise.

Gai jumped out of his sleeping bag in response to the noise, as did Lee.

"What's going on here?" exclaimed Gai.

"Yes. What seems to be the problem?" asked Lee.

"I-I don't know! Sakura kicked me!" stammered Ino as she held her side.

"O-Only because you were acting r-really weird!" stammered Sakura.

"Now ladies..." began Gai nicely.

"Acting really weird? I was sleeping!" exclaimed Ino.

"You were not! You were ACTING weird!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Lets not start a fight..." began Gai.

"ACTING weird? You're always LOOKING really weird, but I don't kick you all of the time, billboard-brow!" taunted Ino.

"Ino-Pig!" taunted Sakura.

Sakura and Ino got into each-others faces, ready to fight each other.

A wall of sand quickly formed between them.

The wall morphed into a Gaara look-alike. The replica did not look happy with them.

"That is enough. I will not have you two fighting each other this entire mission." said Gaara's clone.

The sand fell to the ground, then snaked its way back into Gaara's gourd.

Sakura and Ino blinked in surprise.

"I am ready to go." said Gaara.

"As am I." said Gai.

"As... am I" said Lee dramatically.

"Five more minutes..." mumbled Kiba.

They all turned to see Kiba and Houkou in one sleeping bag.

"Alright, you all have five minutes to get ready. Then it is time to start traveling again. The faster we get to Naruto, the faster we insure his, and everyone else's safety." said Gai.

Gai and Lee turned around and quickly began packing their things.

Leaving Gaara, standing there with his arms crossed, staring at Sakura and Ino.

His stare seemed to bore into the both of them. The black around his eyes seemed to amplify a foreboding effect.

"Well?" asked Gaara.

They both jumped in surprise and jumped towards their things. Ino and Sakura quickly started to fumble around for their equipment clumsily. They both eventually stopped fumbling, and began concentrating on actually packing their things.

As they prepped their equipment next to each other, they both kept stealing glances at each other.

Ino would look at Sakura, but when Sakura caught her looking, she would quickly look away with a frown.

"Ino..." said Sakura.

Ino stopped packing for a moment but didn't look at her.

"Yeah Sakura?" asked Ino without interest.

"I'm... I'm sorry that I kicked you. You just freaked me out, and I reacted without thinking, I didn't mean to do it." apologized Sakura.

Ino smiled softly, and continued packing.

"It's okay... And I'm sorry for fighting with you." said Ino.

Sakura smiled. She knew that they commonly fought about a lot of things. But she and Ino were long time friends. As long as they remembered that, they would always make up.

"It's okay, I kicked you pretty hard, so I really had it coming anyways..." said Sakura.

_'I've known Ino for so long, even if we fight, we are still best friends...'_ thought Sakura contently.

Sakura glanced over at Ino.

_'I wonder if she's thinking the same thing?' _thought Sakura.

_'Starve self, think self-consciously... Starve self, think self-consciously...'_ thought Ino.

They both finished packing, and hoisted their packs onto their backs. The packs fit snugly to their back, allowing for maneuverability, and common motor-movement comfort.

"Ready to go." said Sakura.

Ino nodded in agreement.

"Us too." said Gai and Lee.

"What about Kiba and Houkou?" asked Gaara.

"..."

They looked over to see that they were both still sleeping against each other in their sleeping bag.

"Five minute she too cuddly... Mmmfffffffffff..." mumbled Kiba.

Kiba shoved his face into Houkou chest.

"Oh my God we SO don't have time for this." complained Ino.

"I'll carry them then." said Gai.

Gai bent down and grabbed the sleeping bag near Kiba's head.

He lifted the bag over his had, causing Kiba and Houkou to uncomfortably cramp to the bottom of the bag.

"Ah! What's happening?" exclaimed Houkou.

"Gah! Houkou!Are you alright?" asked Kiba.

"No, I can't feel my legs..." whined Houkou in pain.

"Akamaru!" exclaimed Kiba.

"(Growl...)"

Gai looked to his left to see Akamaru. Akamaru was looking up at Gai, his mouth was snarling and his teeth were baring.

"Alright alright, I get it." said Gai cautiously.

Gai slowly put the sleeping bag down onto the floor, and Kiba came rolling out.

"Thanks Akamaru..." said Kiba.

Akamaru barked in appreciation.

"..."

Everyone was staring at Kiba.

"What?" asked Kiba.

"Hehe... I didn't know you were into Snoopy." taunted Lee.

"What?" asked Kiba in confusion.

"Kiba, put some pants on." said Houkou from their sleeping bag.

Kiba looked down to realize that he was wearing nothing on his lower half but Snoopy boxers.

"Oh..." said Kiba with a blush.

"We need to go now, we are wasting time." said Houkou.

"Then why don't you get out of there and get ready yourself?" asked Lee.

Houkou retreated into the sleeping bag as far as she could. All you could see was her black-slitted eyes glowing in the darkness. Even though you couldn't see her expression, you could tell just by her eyes that she was embarrassed.

"I... um... I sleep in the nude." said Houkou quietly.

Even though they couldn't see her, they knew she was blushing in embarrassment.

"Well alright then." said Sakura.

Without another word, Sakura rushed over to Kiba's bag, and threw it into his arms.

"Kiba put some pants on, and carry Houkou until she can manage to get dressed in there." said Sakura.

"What! That's unreasonable!" exclaimed Houkou.

"We are leaving NOW. Complain all you want if you wish. Both you and Kiba's clothes are in that bag. Seeing that you are both perfectly capable Shinobi, it shouldn't be a problem to dress on the move." said Sakura.

Kiba frowned, but nodded.

"Alright then. Let's go!" said Gai.

Kiba grabbed Houkou's sleeping bag, and slung it over his shoulder.

"K-Kiba! you aren't really going to do this are you?" exclaimed Houkou.

"I have no choice. Sakura is right, we need to go now. The more time we wait, the farther away Naruto gets." said Kiba as he slipped on his pants.

"B-but..." complained Houkou.

"No buts... Now here are your panties..." said Kiba with a blush.

Houkou blushed madly, realizing that everyone was staring at them.

She swiped them angrily from Kiba's hand.

"Alright fine, let's go then." huffed Houkou with a blush.

* * *

_'What a day this has turned out to be... A secret meeting with only part of the counsel... I am now pressured to get information on the Psuedo-Jinchuriki and the foreign Shinobi in our village... Naruto could explode or something crazy like that, and Orochimaru's amnesia...' _thought Tsunade.

She walked quickly trough the market, knowing she had one place she needed to be as fast as possible.

_'The quicker I get to Ashley's apartment, the quicker I can find Tyler. The quicker I find Tyler, the quicker I'll get some information on the foreign Shinobi.'_ thought Tsunade.

As Tsunade hurried through the crowds, Jiraiya stayed at her side, making sure she didn't do something rash.

_'She's always hasty when she's hurried...'_ thought Jiraiya.

"Tsunade, if you're in such a hurry, don't you think we should travel by roof?" asked Jiraiya.

"Ashley or Tyler might see us coming if we do that... Besides, I have a huge hang-over." mumbled Tsunade.

"I figured as much." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya sped up a bit and quickly hoisted Tsunade into his arms, bridal style.

"J-Jiraiya! Put me down right now!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Nope. I'm going to carry you all of the way there." said Jiraiya, un-phased by her command.

"Jiraiya! I'm the Hokage! I have a reputation to uphold! People are staring!" argued Tsunade as she rowdily squirmed.

"There are only staring because you are making such a fuss. Just relax and take a little map. It'll relieve that headache I'm sure is throbbing your head." said Jiraiya.

"..."

"You drive a compelling argument." said Tsunade.

Tsunade closed her eyes and leaned her head against his chest.

"There, now was that so hard?" asked Jiraiya.

"(Snore...)"

"Hehe... Tsunade may be the beautiful love of my life..." began Jiraiya.

"(SNORE!)"

"..."

"But she snores like a trucker..." sighed Jiraiya.

* * *

The dark atmosphere, the wooden floors, and the roar of people talking loudly.

The smoke-thick air, the loud music, and the refreshing drinks.

The local bar and grill was one of Shikaku's favorite places to go.

He sat at the bar to the far left, at his favorite wooden stool.

He enjoyed leaning over onto the bar to rest himself on his elbows. It helped him calm himself, and reminisce of the some of the old times that were actually good.

He took out his metal pocket lighter from his vest pouch, and lit himself a cigarette.

He took a deep drag from his cigarette, and slowly exhaled.

"Ahhhhhhh..." breathed Shikaku contently.

_'Ah... I really needed a good drag...'_ thought Shikaku.

"You really shouldn't smoke those you know." said Choza.

Shikaku turned around in time to see Choza sit down next to him.

"You've told me that a million times, but what do I say every time?" asked Shikaku.

"(Sigh) You only live once, and the life of a Shinobi is fleeting..." mumbles Choza.

"Heh, that's right." said a voice.

A man with a long flowing blond ponytail sat down next to Choza. He wore a black cloak, and had a serious expression, as usual.

"About time." said Choza.

"According to the bar clock, I'm early." said Inoichi.

"According to my watch, which in synchronized to both of yours, you are late." said Shikaku.

"Alright whatever." mumbled Inoichi.

"Now now you two, let's not start a fight right off the bat." said Choza.

"Right. Now you both know what I want to talk about." said Shikaku.

They both nodded.

"This is a deeply concerning matter... You were sure that they were identical?" asked Inoichi.

"I'm positive. Even the stroke patterns and positions were completely identical. It was as though it was created by the same person" said Shikaku.

"It is impossible for this information to have gotten out. The fourth never would have shared such a forbidden seal with anyone, let alone another village." said Choza.

"Then why do we have a shinobi from another village with that_ exact_ seal?" asked Inoichi.

All three of them sat for a moment before Shikaku quickly stood up.

"I'm going to ask Tsunade's permission to access the fourth Hokage's private archives. You two dig up whatever you can in the meantime." said Shikaku.

"Yondaime had private archives?... Hokage's can have private archives?" exclaimed Choza.

"No of course he doesn't, and no they can't. All matters relating to Konoha are always run through the counsel first before being archived." said Inoichi.

"Yeah, sure Inoichi, you just keep thinking that." chuckled Shikaku.

Inoichi angrily stood up from his seat.

"Are you insinuating that you know something that I don't?" exclaimed Inoichi angrily.

"Yes. But I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. I would worry about who's son is courting your daughter." said Shikaku with a smirk.

Inoichi's frown turned into a look of surprise.

"No... Don't tell me..." stammered Inoichi.

"Alright I won't tell you." said Shikaku.

Shikaku calmly walked out the door, and left the two at the bar.

Choza saw and recognized the look on Inoichi's face.

He knew that he needed to diffuse the situation before something bad happened.

"Now Inoichi... There's no need to let this blow out of proportion..." began Choza.

"Gah! It's Shikamaru! I know it! Him and that cool I-don't-care lazy disposition!" exclaimed Inoichi out of paranoia.

"Now, Inoichi, you have no way of knowing that..." began Choza.

Inoichi quickly stood up from his chair.

"It's Shikamaru! That's why Shikaku knows before me! Ino wouldn't tell me because she'd probably think that I'd over-react!" exclaimed Inoichi madly as he flailed his arms wildly.

_'She'd be right to think so...'_ thought Choza with a sweatdrop.

"It's alright Inoichi, just calm down. It's not like you know that they've had sex or something like that." reasoned Choza.

"..."

"SEX! Oh My God!" exclaimed Inoichi in tears.

Inoichi burst from the bar in a rush.

"Ino! Daddy's coming for you! Daddy will keep the dirty boys away!" shouted Inoichi in stress.

Choza was left alone at the bar.

"(Sigh) It's ironic. Despite my clan's famous temper... those two will always over-react before I do..." muttered Choza.

* * *

Jiraiya had finally made his way to the designated apartment. Of course, the busy and bustling streets of Konoha did make it a bit difficult to negotiate through.

"Apartment Complex 4... A strictly shinobi complex..." said Jiraiya.

The only sure-fire way to tell if a complex in Konoha was only inhabited by Shinobi, was to simply look for stairs.

_'No stairs... That figures. '_ thought Jiraiya.

He walked forward and looked straight up the wall of the building.

_'Rather tall building for an apartment complex...'_ thought Jiraiya.

Jiraiya made sure he had a good grip on Tsunade, and planted his feet onto the wall of the complex.

Jiraiya slowly made his way up the wall, trying to keep his steps even and fluid.

_'I wouldn't want to wake Tsunade...' _thought Jiraiya.

He came to the first veranda, which was built with a convenient gaping hole for Shinobi to walk through.

Jiraiya walked through and made it to the second veranda.

_'So far so good...'_ thought Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya? Tsunade?" asked a voice from his left.

To his left, standing on the veranda, was Asuma Sarutobi, enjoying a cigarette.

"Asuma? What brings you here?" asked Jiraiya.

Suddenly Asuma became nervous.

"Oh I was uh... um...(cough) I was just enjoying the view..." stammered Asuma uncomfortably.

"Eh?" muttered Jiraiya in confusion.

Jiraiya looked behind Asuma to see an apartment door with a box of chocolates and a bouquet of flowers rested against it.

"Ah... I see now. I'm guessing that a certain cutie-pie lives there?" asked Jiraiya slyly.

"W-wha(ahem) whatever do you mean?" asked Asuma awkwardly.

"Don't try to hide it. You left those chocolates for the woman who lives there."said Jiraiya observantly.

"(Sigh) I don't suppose it would do me any good to deny it..." said Asuma in defeat.

"So... What's her name?" asked Jiraiya.

"Hehe... (Sigh)... It's Kurenai." said Asuma.

"Heh-Haaaaa! Yuuhi? By God I never thought she would ever end up with anyone! That's great! So how long have you two been together?" asked Jiraiya happily.

"To date?... Zero minutes and zero seconds." said Asuma sadly.

"Ah. Still courting her eh? I know where you're coming from there..." said Jiraiya.

They both looked down at Tsunade for a moment.

"So, are you two together? Or are you still traveling that rocky path?" asked Asuma.

"Eh... At this point, I'm not quite sure myself." said Jiraiya.

"Well, I suppose uncertainty is better than being certain that she will never love you." said Asuma.

"...I suppose." said Jiraiya.

"..."

"Well, I had better get moving, I have something I need to be doing." said Jiraiya.

"Right. Well it was nice seeing you." said Asuma.

"Likewise." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya continued on to the third veranda wall, and carefully stepped onto the decking that surrounded the complex of that floor.

_'Floor three...' _thought Jiraiya.

Jiraiya walked halfway around the building which took around a minute.

He came to an entrance door that was larger than the other doors.

He walked in, and saw a long hallway, which he knew also intersected a great number of other hallways.

He walked down the hallway, counting the numbers displayed above each hallway.

_'15... 16... 17... 18... 19. Hallway 19 contains apartments 90 - 95'_ thought Jiraiya.

He turned right and followed down the hall, stopping at the first door on the right.

_'Room 90...' _thought Jiraiya.

Jiraiya looked down at Tsunade.

She was still asleep.

_'She certainly is peaceful when she is asleep...'_ thought Jiraiya.

"Tsunade." said Jiraiya quietly.

Tsunade twitched a bit.

"Tsunade, it's time to wake up." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade yawned and put her hand to her forehead.

Jiraiya set her down on the ground, and she firmly planted her feet, rubbing her eyes for a bit while she collected her consciousness.

"We there?" asked Tsunade.

"Yeah." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya reached forward and knocked on the door.

(knock)

They waited for a moment before knocking again.

(knock!)(knock!)

(Clang!) "Fuck! Aw Fuck!" exclaimed a voice.

"..."

"(Heavy Sigh)Yeah?" shouted a voice irritably.

"...We are here to see Tyler." said Tsunade.

"..."

"Just a moment." said the voice.

(Clang)

"Crap..."

(Cling-clang)

"Wait no! Maybe if I..." began the voice.

(Clang-BANG!-ting-CRASH!)

"God! Mother F$&ing F$%*! God! ...F*$%#$&#%&$#%%&#!" exclaimed the voice.

"..."

They heard the sound of metallic cluttering, and feet shuffling around.

"Hello?" asked Jiraiya.

"..."

"Are you alright?" asked Jiraiya.

"Just a minute!" exclaimed the voice.

After the cluttering sounds stopped, they heard footsteps coming towards the door.

The door opened and Tsunade immediately jumped backwards in surprise, nudging into Jiraiya.

Standing at the door to greet them was a person with a large square metal mask on. The mask had a small window pane for the wearer to see through, but the overall look seemed foreboding.

"What do you want now?" asked the person.

Tsunade blinked in surprise. She recognized the voice. Sure the voice was muffled behind the mask, but she recognized it.

"Ashley? Is that you?" asked Tsunade.

"Yeah." said Ashley.

Ashley lifted up the mask to reveal a green-eyed, dirty, yet pretty face.

"Who else could it have been?" asked Ashley.

"Tyler. It could have been Tyler. Speaking of him, where is he?" asked Jiraiya.

"Oh God, what did he do now?" asked Ashley worriedly.

_'The fact that she always assumes the worst of Tyler doesn't speak much for the guy...'_ thought Jiraiya.

"We were hoping nothing. But we need to speak with him to be sure." said Tsunade.

Ashley seemed to study Tsunade for a moment before answering.

"You want to speak with Tyler... Because you think he has done something wrong?" asked Ashley.

"Yes. It is of utmost importance." assured Jiraiya.

Ashley's eyes narrowed.

"You ask this of me... without providing any details?" asked Ashley.

"We didn't think it necessary to..." began Jiraiya.

"Oh shut up. You won't tell me because you don't trust me." interjected Ashley.

Jiraiya and Tsunade blinked in surprise.

"You have found something out, or you need to find something out. Or maybe it is both. Either way, you need to get to Tyler, meaning you need specific information from him. But because you won't immediately let me in the loop, that means you don't trust me. And if you don't trust me at this point, you don't trust Tyler either." said Ashley quickly.

Tsunade and Jiraiya both stood there in surprise. They didn't know how to react to this.

"I thought that you trusted me when you let me into your home that night. I found it suspicious that you seemed to be keeping something from me, but I shrugged it off. I assumed it had either slipped your mind, or you didn't feel it pertinent to tell me. Either way, I don't care. You were just using me, to try to get to Tyler." said Ashley.

"That's not how it is..." began Tsunade.

"Don't lie. You noticed a pattern in Tyler. One of his many patterns. If he doesn't want to talk about something, he disappears. Inconvenient isn't it? Whatever you want to know must be something he doesn't want to talk about. And if he doesn't want to talk about it... Then it can't be any good." said Ashley.

"You misunderstand. This is a matter of village security." assured Jiraiya.

"Look. I know Tyler. I know him better than any of you possibly could. So if you want to speak to Tyler so badly... Go God damn find him yourself." said Ashley spitefully.

Ashley slammed the door in their faces, surprising them both.

"..."

"Harsh is the scorn of a woman." said Jiraiya.

"But deadly is the scorn of a man like Tyler. If Tyler hears that Ashley no longer trusts us... I have a feeling that he won't trust us either. And he may do something stupid and drastic... Like a man would." said Tsunade.

"(Sigh) Lets not make this sexist, alright?" said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya turned and began walking down the hall.

Tsunade quickly followed after him.

"Where are you going?" asked Tsunade.

"Well, if we want to find Tyler... Maybe we should just check places he would most likely be." said Jiraiya.

"Oh? And where would that be?" asked Tsunade.

"Um, how about at work?" asked Jiraiya.

"Work? Where does he work?" asked Tsunade.

"...He works for you." said Jiraiya.

"..."

"Oh yeah..." mumbled Tsunade.

"...You really should stay off the liquor for a while." sighed Jiraiya.

* * *

As he wheeled himself through his home, he realized how lonely his home was when it was empty.

With his wife's death, he was greatly depressed, but still had two lovely daughters and a nephew to look after.

He used to enjoy their company. Teaching and training them when he could, while giving them the lessons of life.

But now, all three were out of the home during the day, and he realized that he was very lonely without them.

He made his way past the kitchen, where no one had been for a few days.

He knew this because the chair he fell over in during his heart attack was still tipped over on the kitchen floor.

"(Sigh)"

_'Hanabi is a Genin, and is always gone on D-rank missions with team-collaboration training. Hinata is a Chunnin, and is always needed out on the field as a scout and point guard. Neji is a Jounin, and he never seems to have any time for himself, let alone his family.'_ thought Hiashi.

That's how it usually was, things were always busy.

But now, things were blown all out of proportion.

_'Hanabi is having drinking problems... Hinata is a Jinchuriki... And Neji might not even come back...'_ thought Hiashi sadly.

He began to wheel his way through the impossibly long and ornamental hallway which started at the end of the kitchen.

_'I should get someone to clean up the kitchen while I'm out...'_ thought Hiashi.

As he wheeled himself through the hallway, he took notice of the decor that seem to populate the entire hallway.

There were swords and armor, vases and lamps, and pictures and scrolls galore.

Hiashi stopped and looked at a portrait on the wall to his left.

It was a family portrait.

Unfortunately the picture was taken shortly after his wife's death.

All of the years of being a practical diplomat had hardened him, but nothing had ever prepared him to raise and care for a family by himself.

In the portrait, Hiashi was standing in the middle of a rather empty deck. He had his hands on Hinata's shoulders, and Hinata held a baby Hanabi.

Hiashi felt tears coming up.

He remembered his wife. Her gentle touch, her timid nature, and her over-caring emotions.

It made his heart ache terribly to think of his lost beloved.

But what hurt him the most was the expressions in the portrait.

Hinata looked like she was trying to smile, but it was obvious she wasn't happy.

Her eyes were very watery, and she looked to be on the verge of crying.

Hiashi wiped his eyes on his sleeve and quickly continued down the hall before he got too caught up in the past.

As he made his way to the front of his home, he took deep breathes, calming himself and regaining his famous composure.

He finally wheeled his way to the front door.

He opened it and stopped outside on the deck.

He looked down and remembered that the deck had a stairway that led downstairs into the lawn.

_'The Hyuuga manor is mostly wheelchair accessible... But not the front door...'_ thought Hiashi.

He could go all of the way around, but that would take over 15 minutes.

"(Sigh)"

_'Okay... I can do this...'_ thought Hiashi.

He wheeled his wheelchair to the edge of the stairs, and took a deep breathe.

He quickly lunged the chair forward, hopping it into the air.

He spun around backwards, and caught the wheel baring on the railing.

The chair quickly ground itself down the entire railing, and Hiashi quickly hopped the chair up again before he reached the end.

He spun the chair back around again, and landed perfectly on the ground, skidding to a halt.

"Ha! Take that old age!" exclaimed Hiashi triumphantly.

He wheeled forward...

"Gah!"

Only for his wheelchair to fall into about 17 pieces.

Hiashi laid face first on the floor, not wanting to move.

"..."

"Can someone help me?" called Hiashi.

"..."

"Anyone!" exclaimed Hiashi.

"..."

"I think I broke a hip..." mumbled Hiashi.

* * *

The branches whizzed past them. Hundreds of trees blurred past them every minute, leaving countless openings for enemy attacks.

Traveling in this manner through the branches of trees seemed dangerous, but each of them had been traveling everywhere in such a manner, ever since they had learned proper chakra control when they were Genin.

It was just something they were used to.

_'We are almost to the checkpoint. Soon we will be where we need to be, and everything will be better.'_ thought Kakashi.

As the team jumped across the branches, Kakashi worried about Naruto.

He looked back at him.

Naruto was depressed, out of place, and sad.

Naruto's emotions seemed so obvious, but it wasn't anything Kakashi could solve himself.

Kakashi sighed and looked forward again, concentrating more on his jumping to keep his mind off of him.

_'I can't be worrying about things like this all of the time. I planned on using this trip as a vacation, so I don't need any extra stress.'_ thought Kakashi.

He wanted to relax, he wanted to stop worrying about him.

But he cared about Naruto, he couldn't just stop caring.

_'But in this situation... It is best that I do next to nothing to solve it.'_ thought Kakashi.

Besides, it seemed like Hinata was already on her way to helping him.

She just didn't know how.

_'I want to get him to feel better... It really isn't his fault...' _thought Hinata.

As everyone jumped, they kept in groups.

Yamato jumped up front next to Kakashi and Sasuke.

Neji and Ten Ten jumped in the back-left of the group by themselves.

Kurenai and Anko held the back-right, while Naruto and Hinata kept to the center of the group.

Everyone had been traveling for a while, so anything of interest seemed all the more interesting.

Any action, emotion, or conflict would stand out to them. Anything else was better than watching blurring trees 24/7.

And right then, the only thing of interest was that Hinata held a concerned expression on her face.

_'He looks so sad... He seems to be deep in thought.'_ thought Hinata.

_'She's staring at him...'_ thought Yamato.

_'Hinata... She cares so much for him...'_ thought Kurenai.

_'I'm so bored...' _thought Anko.

Hinata continued to watch him for over 10 minutes.

It wasn't hard to do, watching Naruto was something she enjoyed. Even if he was sad, he would always be her Naruto.

Suddenly Naruto turned his head and looked right at her.

_'Finally! Eye contact!' _thought Anko.

_'Getting a bit interesting...' _thought Sasuke.

Hinata blinked in surprise and blushed at being caught watching him.

"Do you want something Hinata?" asked Naruto.

Naruto's expression was still sad, but he also seemed a little concerned.

Hinata held her breathe and she quickly shook her head back and forth in response.

"Alright. Let me know if you need anything." said Naruto.

Naruto turned his attention forward once again, returning to his thinking.

Hinata breathed in and collected herself.

_'Kakashi said that Naruto probably wants to think... So maybe the best thing I can do for him is to let him think...'_ thought Hinata.

Hinata diverted her attention to herself, but found that she kept concentrating on her body.

She kept looking at her hands, although they were hidden under her long sleeves, she could perfectly see them.

_'I'm still getting used to feeling... so different...'_ thought Hinata.

She clenched her hands, feeling the almost over-whelming power flowing through her.

_'Ever since that incident with Naruto...' _thought Hinata.

(Flashback)

"Naruto... how... how do you feel?" asked Kakashi as he cautiously approached him.

"Funny." said Naruto.

"Funny? What, bad funny? Funny funny? or Rita Rudner funny?" asked Kakashi.

"Bad fffffffunny." said Hinata with a giggle.

She continued to feel up Naruto while he began to stumble.

"Yeah, bad fu..." said Naruto as he collapsed along with Hinata.

They both laid there on the ground, and Sakura quickly got up and ran to their sides to check their pulses.

"Oh God! They're going critical! Their heart's are beating way too slow!" shouted Sakura.

Hinata could feel her senses fading. The first gone was her sense of touch.

The feeling of Naruto's body in her arms faded away.

She could faintly hear frantic voices nearby, but all sounds began to fade away.

Her vision faded to black, it was almost as though her body no longer existed.

Everything became fuzzy.

She became worried. With nothing to see, nothing to hear, and nothing to feel, she began to fear.

And with that fear, she began to get her mind back into place.

_'Ugh... What is this?'_ thought Hinata drowsily.

The first thing she noticed was that she suddenly had footing.

She was supporting herself on something very hard, something metal.

The second thing she noticed was that her feet felt wet.

Cold and wet.

Just like the air she realized she was breathing.

_'Am I alive?'_ thought Hinata.

The darkness around her began to turn a lighter color of gray.

The grayness faded into a wall of metal directly in front of her.

It looked as though the wall was made up of random sheets of metal that were poorly welded together. She was surrounded by sheet metal and random piping on all sides. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all metal.

As everything lightened, she realized that she was standing in a dank and wet corridor.

_'I don't know where I am... But I don't like it here...'_ thought Hinata.

Although this all seemed strange to her, she walked forward through the corridor.

Time seemed to stop in this place, but it seemed like she had been walking forever. She had no real idea of how much time had passed. She couldn't see the sun, if there even was one in this place, so she couldn't tell what time of day it was. For all she knew it was night time.

She continued to walk.

The water at her ankles was cold and bothersome.

But that became irrelevant when she began wondering how much time she was wasting here, and where she even was.

She worried about that... until she felt something.

Suddenly she felt a very comfortable aura about her body.

It was as though a warmth had found her in the depths of this godforsaken place.

She followed the source of the warmth.

It was calling to her, beckoning her to follow.

The comfort reminded her of Naruto. The feeling of his warm arms wrapped around her, his body pressed against her own.

She ran towards the warmth in desperation, taking many many seemingly random turns.

It seemed like an eternity since she had first arrived in this place, and this aura continued to taunt her.

She was cold, alone and scared, but the warmth seemed ever-present, and she knew she was getting closer to the source.

She finally came to a very long corridor.

Fairly far down the the corridor, she could see a glow of warmth emanating from a doorway on the left.

She made a dash towards the door, the warmth continuing its ever-present call, promising comfort and retreat from the cold creepy corridors.

She whipped around into the doorway, but stopped herself in surprise.

She didn't expect what she saw.

She expected something pleasant. Something warm and nice to look at.

Instead there was a large barred jail cell that seemed to take up most of the far wall of the room. This was the first room she had actually come across. As far as she knew, everything else had been corridors.

She had come this far, and waited so long to get to this room.

Even if she didn't know what it was or why, she had to know for sure.

She cautiously walked forward.

As soon as she stepped into the room, she felt as though her energy was slowly being stripped from her.

It was as though her energy was physically being sucked upwards into the air.

_'I can feel my chakra being sucked away... But I don't know where it's going... Or what's taking it...'_ thought Hinata.

She ignored the feeling and continued forward.

She noticed that the water got deeper the closer she got to the cage, and it also got warmer.

The aura of warmth was still there, she could feel it. It was the strongest she had felt it yet. It seemed to get stronger when she got closer to the far wall. The closer she got to the cell, the warmer it got.

She eventually made her way up to the other side of the, room stopping not three feet from the cage.

Now that she was so close, she noticed that the bars of the cage were made of cold iron. Each bar was at least three feet thick.

She began to wonder what monstrosity would need to be held behind such a strong prison.

She suddenly jumped back in surprise.

She had heard something shift within the cell.

By the sound of it, whatever moved was very big, and very dense. When it shifted, the ground shook in correspondence, telling her that whatever it was, it was very heavy as well.

Suddenly, a gust of very warm air hit her in the face, knocking her backwards into the water.

She scrambled to her feet in surprise and took a Jyuuken stance.

The warm gust of air had her surprised, but then a second one hit her.

She still jumped a bit, but it was then that she realized something.

She stood completely still in shock, her eyes wide, and her breathing was slow and cautious.

_'Its breathing... The warm gusts of air are its breathe...'_ thought Hinata.

Whatever was in this cell, behind the shroud of darkness, was alive.

And she was in the same room with it.

She held her breathe, and walked forward, quietly and slowly.

She reached the bars again, and rested her hand against it, peering carefully into the cell.

Suddenly, she felt a wave of power flow through and around her, slowly rushing from the cage.

Large eyes, each one larger than her entire body, opened in the darkness.

The eyes were blood red with giant black slit for a pupil.

Looking into them was an equivalent of looking into the depths of the eyes of Satan.

_**'A chakra...'**_ thought Kyuubi.

_**"Who dares disturb my slumber?"**_ boomed Kyuubi.

Hinata fell backwards in surprise, holding her hands over her ears to tone down the explosive sound emanating from the darkness.

_**"I don't know who you are... But you have chosen the wrong place to intrude!"**_ boomed Kyuubi.

Kyuubi stood up in his cage, drastically towering over Hinata.

The Kyuubi's chakra rushed from the cage, blowing past her with hurricane-like force.

_**"Prepare yourself for an abrupt and painful decimation of your body, mind, and soul."**_ boomed Kyuubi.

Hinata could feel tears flowing down her face. She was so full of fear, she couldn't move. She knew that she was going to die.

_**"Suffer my wrath mortal!"**_ growled Kyuubi.

Hinata shut her eyes tight, and cried out in agony of pure fear.

"Naruto!" screamed Hinata.

At the sound of her voice, Kyuubi stopped his movement.

His giant head loomed way down to Hinata's height, and glared at her form.

_**"That name she screamed... That chakra seeping from her body... "**_ mumbled Kyuubi.

The powerful chakra completely died down, and only the familiar soothing warmth remained once more.

Suddenly, a red and furry arm shot out from the darkness.

It quickly grasped Hinata's body and lifted her into the air.

Kyuubi's hand moved up until it was inches from Kyuubi's face.

He looked at her closely, examining her carefully.

_**'Her chakra is wonderfully graceful, but she seems to have an irregularity... A second chakra hidden deep within.' **_thought Kyuubi.

_**"My, my, You are a special little kitling aren't you?"**_ asked Kyuubi.

Kyuubi looked into his hand, and noticed that the little human was shaking like a leaf and crying profusely.

_**"Oh."**_ mumbled Kyuubi.

_**'I should make her more comfortable'**_ thought Kyuubi.

Hinata was still very shaken from the monster's appearance and rage.

Her head fell back in defeat, and she looked straight up.

She could now see her chakra leaving her body.

It was being sucked upwards to the ceiling, but when it hit the ceiling, it seemed to keep going past it, as though the ceiling wasn't there.

Before Hinata could think more about where her chakra was going, a second stream of chakra suddenly came down from the ceiling.

The chakra was perhaps the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Kyuubi didn't seem to notice this, he was still preoccupied with this interesting intruder.

One of Kyuubi's tails wove its way out of the cell, and grasped itself around Hinata in place of his hand.

Hinata felt the warm, soft, and velvety fur of the monster's tail grasp around her.

At the same time, the chakra that came down from the ceiling shot into Hinata's body, flowing quickly throughout her.

Images of Naruto immediately rushed through her mind.

Naruto's soft tail brushing against her face, his strong arms holding her to his well sculpted chest.

Her body relaxed, and she cuddled into Kyuubi's tail.

"Naruto..." whispered Hinata with a blush.

Kyuubi's ears perked up.

_**'She says his name as if she knows him... But I cannot see another soul that wanders in here, I can't identify who she is...'**_ thought Kyuubi.

All Kyuubi could see, was a small fire of chakra that his tail was wrapped around.

_**'And yet she seems so familiar...'**_ thought Kyuubi.

Suddenly, the giant eyes behind the great iron cage cringed in pain.

A large amount of chakra suddenly shot out of the cage like a hurricane of unstoppable power.

_**"What is going on!"**_ demanded Kyuubi.

An unknown force was taking Kyuubi's power, draining it from him. This was no problem to him, seeing that he reproduced chakra at an incredible rate. But for someone to steal it from him, was an insult.

_'This better be you doing this kit...'_ thought Kyuubi.

Kyuubi looked down at the small human in his tail, watching as her eyes slowly closed.

She couldn't see anything. Her vision had gone from a dark prison, to bright orange.

A ferocious orange that seemed to rage everywhere around her.

She could feel herself slipping from consciousness.

She already didn't know where she was, but now she was losing it again.

Suddenly everything flashed white and she felt something pressed against her.

She could feel herself standing now...

And something was grabbing her butt.

She opened her eyes to see Naruto face-to-face with her.

(End Flashback)

_'I still remember the feeling of his hand on my body...'_ thought Hinata with a blush.

Hinata fantasized about that for a moment before returning to her thoughts.

_'But aside from that, the entire hallucination with that furry monster in that terrible place wasn't pleasant, and it seemed too real to be a dream.'_ thought Hinata.

And then there was that drastic difference in power she felt after she woke up.

_'I could feel the power flowing through me, power like never before...'_ thought Hinata.

But that feeling of power went away several times, only to be replaced by a feeling of complete weakness.

_'I keep going back and forth between strong and weak... I don't know what's going on with my body...'_ thought Hinata worriedly.

Right now, she felt strong, but she didn't have any idea how long that feeling would last.

She continued to jump, absent-mindedly thinking about the incident and how it affected her.

(CRACK!)

Hinata jumped straight into a large tree.

But instead of hitting the surface and stopping, her body ripped through it like paper.

Hinata had an astounded look on her face as she fell from the boughs, missing the next branch because of the jump through the tree.

"Did anyone else hear a loud noise?" asked Anko.

Suddenly an orange blur swooped down, grabbed Hinata, and quickly caught back up with the group.

Naruto held Hinata bridal style, but Hinata was still amazed by what just happened to notice.

"What just happened?" asked Kakashi.

Half of the Shinobi who were not paying attention were now wide awake.

Either because of the noise of Hinata going through the tree, or because some wooden shrapnel had hit them.

"What do you mean what just happened?" asked Naruto.

"That noise, that explosion of wooden splinters, what was that?" asked Yamato.

"You're guess is as good as mine..." said Naruto.

Kakashi and Yamato looked at each other in confusion.

Kakashi was about to ask Naruto is he was sure, but he stopped himself when he saw the look in Naruto's eyes.

Naruto was busy paying attention to Hinata, who was still a bit spaced out.

"Hinata." said Naruto.

Hinata blinked and shook herself from her stupor.

"N-Naruto-kun... What just happened?" asked Hinata quietly.

"Well... You just happened. It appears as though some excess chakra is leaking into your chakra coils. And it must be some strong stuff, because it seems to have strengthened your cellular structure quite well." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata's eyes widened a bit.

"Y-you mean... My... um, my Bijuu?" asked Hinata.

"It would seem so. You are slowly becoming a full-fledged Jinchuriki. My cute Hinata-chan." teased Naruto.

Hinata blushed and cuddled her head into Naruto's chest.

"This is all so sudden... One week ago I was a normal Shinobi with a crush on a Jinchuriki... And now I'm Jinchuriki in love with another Jinchuriki..." whispered Hinata with a smile.

Naruto blushed and smiled.

"Hinata..." chuckled Naruto in surprise.

"You know... You can put me down... Naruto..." muttered Hinata bashfully.

"Would you really mind if I carried you?" asked Naruto.

Hinata smiled and cuddled into him.

"No... I guess I wouldn't." said Hinata happily.

END OF CHAPTER


	39. A Lesson, and a Leap

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

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"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 39:**_

_**A Lesson and a Leap:  
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* * *

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The trees that they traveled through were noticeably loosing foliage as they approached their target. This meant that they were getting closer to the sea.

But aside from observing the various trees that whizzed past them, everyone's attention seemed to be aimed towards the front of the group.

It was Naruto that had their attention.

It wasn't a big surprise considering that what happened before, had yet to be explained to them.

They had been traveling along, and there was suddenly the sound of a loud explosion, followed by the sight of wood splinters flying at them from various directions.

It was as though a tree had exploded.

And back when it happened, Kakashi was the first to catch a glimpse of what was going on.

_'There was that loud explosion, then when I turned my head, Naruto was suddenly carrying Hinata, who had the most splinters all over her clothing...'_ thought Kakashi.

This could mean several things. But it would make most sense that the explosion itself had originated from or near Hinata.

_'Hinata was the only one who made any noticeable movements in that time frame, and she also had the most splinters on her...'_ thought Kakashi.

But he also knew that he too had wood splinters on him, as did the rest of the group at the time.

_'Hinata might have just been the closest to the explosion... Maybe it was a leftover trap from a Shinobi battle?'_ thought Kakashi.

But the more Kakashi thought about it, the more Kakashi found it strange.

_'Surely Hinata was temporarily disabled from the blast, which was why Naruto caught and carried her... But why hasn't Naruto responded truthfully to any of my questioning?'_ thought Kakashi.

The first time Kakashi asked Naruto what had happened, he simply shrugged and said that he had no idea.

Obviously a lie, it was easy to tell, especially to a Shinobi of his particular caliber.

_'But why hide it? Hide what? Was it something Naruto did accidentally? Did he accidentally release some power, almost hurting Hinata?'_ thought Kakashi.

This surely would stand to reason, seeing that Naruto had so much overwhelming power.

_'And because he almost hurt Hinata, he is silent. Mentally mortified and filled with more self-hatred for what he has done. Just like before when he hated himself for telling Hinata that she was also a Jinchuriki. If that is the case, then I need to watch Naruto closely. I still don't know if Naruto will be able to control himself... All I can do is wait for Tsunade's return letter.'_ thought Kakashi.

As of recently, he had become anxious waiting for Pakkun to return with a response.

_'I can usually read Naruto fairly well, but now that he's absorbed so much of the Kyuubi's chakra, it's hard to see past all of that energy he's producing.'_ thought Kakashi.

He watched Naruto carefully, the small and frail looking Hinata Hyuuga in his arms.

Naruto's jumps from branch to branch were different from his own.

Naruto's jumps were very fluid and had almost no descent or ascent.

Naruto was purposely jumping so that he would make the least amount of movement in each of his jumps.

Kakashi let a few more moments go by before he finally decided to speak again.

"Naruto, how are you doing?" asked Kakashi.

Kakashi's voice caught everyone's attention. He was the first one to speak for over three hours since the explosion of wooden splinters.

Everyone turned their attention from Kakashi to Naruto. Maybe Naruto would finally shed some light on what happened.

The only response Kakashi got in return, was Naruto turning his head to look at him.

Naruto's expression surprised Kakashi.

Kakashi was expecting sadness, remorse, or even anger.

But instead, Naruto had a small and gentle smile on his face. A look of intimate care gleaming in his eyes.

Kakashi knew immediately that Naruto wanted him to be quiet from that look alone.

Kakashi jumped forward and caught up to Naruto as they continued jumping.

He looked at Naruto questionably, and Naruto met his gaze.

Instead of responding vocally to Kakashi's look of worry, Naruto looked from Kakashi, down to Hinata.

Kakashi looked down to Hinata's face, and understood.

She was peacefully asleep.

_'Hinata is asleep, and she doesn't appear to have any kind of wounds on her body... Not even a single scratch...'_ thought Kakashi.

Kakashi looked back up to Naruto.

Naruto did not look back at him in return.

Instead, Naruto continued to watch Hinata, lost in what looked like content happiness.

_'He doesn't look remorseful or sad... He looks happier than I've seen him this entire mission...' _thought Kakashi.

_'So the explosion couldn't have been Naruto's doing... But... I still don't understand what happened...'_ thought Kakashi.

He let himself fall back into his position in the group next to Yamato.

Yamato gave Kakashi a look of confusion.

But Kakashi turned his gaze forward, signifying that he had nothing to offer as an explanation.

Yamato blinked in slight surprise that Kakashi had nothing to offer.

Of all of the Shinobi in Konoha, Kakashi was well revered for his superior analytical skills.

_'He needs more time to think, there must not be very many leads to a reasonable answer.'_ thought Yamato.

Kurenai watched Kakashi from her position next to Anko.

_'Even Kakashi doesn't know what happened back there...'_ thought Kurenai.

Kakashi was always strong, willing, and cunning to top it off. He was definitely a formidable Shinobi.

And through all of the missions she had been on with him, she had seen more and more of who Kakashi really was.

_'Surely we only kissed and cuddled... And that time we had was fresh and didn't last long... But it was something!'_ thought Kurenai.

She still thought about how forward Kakashi was with her. Asuma was never so bold.

_'Maybe that's all I want... a relationship that actually goes somewhere...'_ thought Kurenai.

Kakashi moved very quickly relationship-wise. Maybe that's why being with him was so appealing to her.

_'I even broke down in tears when he was struck with amnesia... Is that how badly I want a serious relationship?'_ thought Kurenai.

Kurenai looked from Kakashi to Naruto, who was holding Hinata, a student who was like a daughter to her.

_'Now that is what I want. A relationship like that...'_ thought Kurenai.

Kurenai watched Naruto intently.

Just the way he held Hinata, the way he caressed her like she was the most fragile thing in the world. And the way he looked at her, like she was the only thing that was important to him.

_'For God's sake, even my own student has a successful relationship before I do... That's messed up! She's about half my age!'_ thought Kurenai.

As Kurenai was feeling older by the second, Hinata was enjoying the closeness of her Naruto.

_'(Giggle) Naruto... He always makes me feel so warm and confident...'_ thought Hinata with a smile.

Hinata looked at Naruto's strong arms which held her gently against his body. She knew that as long as she was in his arms, nothing could possibly hurt her.

_'He melts my worries away...'_ thought Hinata contently.

She looked up at his face, and was immediately brought out of her fantasy by his expression.

As soon as Hinata's eyes met Naruto's, she almost wished she hadn't looked in the first place.

He was looking deeply into her eyes. His gaze was caring and loving. And yet she felt that he was worried and sad.

She felt his pain when she looked into his eyes. Pain that she knew she initially caused.

She remembered that Naruto still felt bad about scaring her half to death.

_'I made him feel bad about scaring me... Even if I didn't do so directly or intentionally...'_ thought Hinata.

She remembered sitting on the ground, looking up at his pained face. She remembered that he was trying to hold back tears when he swiftly turned away from her.

_'I need to assure him that everything is fine, that it was only an accident. We need to talk as soon as possible.'_ thought Hinata.

But a talk like this needed privacy between the two of them, and with an entire group of Shinobi accompanying them, privacy would almost seem out of their grasp.

_'I will need to wait until the time is right... When we can actually be alone.'_ thought Hinata with a blush.

* * *

Tsunade stomped angrily through the marketplace, most people jumping out of her way.

"Tyler should be at the office yet. I might catch him if I hurry." said Tsunade to herself.

As she stormed through the next intersection, she noticed some shoppers crowded around a single stand.

She couldn't tell what they were selling because of the mass of people, but one person caught her attention.

This person really stood out from the rest of the crowd.

It was hard to see the person from behind so many other people, but out of everyone, his looks screamed "Look at me!".

A black cloak, blond air, and a constant aura of elegance and art.

"Deidara?" asked Tsunade.

Deidara looked up from what he was doing, and turned to see Tsunade.

"Tsunade. Un." said Deidara.

Deidara walked through the thick crowd as Tsunade came to a stop.

The two of them had plenty of room in the street, seeing that everyone was scared of Tsunade.

"What are you doing here?" asked Tsunade.

"Same thing I was doing yesterday. Un." said Deidara.

"Yesterday? What were you doing yesterday?" asked Tsunade.

"You don't know? Un... I thought that Shizune would have told you about it or something... Un." said Deidara.

"Shizune?" asked Tsunade.

"Un. She was down here yesterday, asking me about lingerie... You know, because I'm an artist... Un..." said Deidara with a blush.

"Yesterday? Wait a minute... Was it around 8:00 A.M. that Shizune was here?" asked Tsunade.

"Yeah, Un." said Deidara.

_'Shizune skipped the meeting yesterday so that she could buy lingerie? I was going to get back at her for playing hooky, but now I'm going to get her good!'_ thought Tsunade angrily.

"So, out of curiosity... What kind of lingerie did you persuade her to buy?" asked Tsunade.

"A velvet black thong set. Un." said Deidara.

"A thong eh?" asked Tsunade.

_'Remembering that for later...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Un, she bought several sets that I told her complemented her figure, hair, and eye color. Un." said Deidara.

Tsunade nodded and turned away.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, but I must be going." said Tsunade.

"Un." said Deidara with a nod.

Tsunade looked around, but didn't see who was supposed to be accompanying her.

"Jiraiya?... Jiraiya!" yelled Tsunade.

Jiraiya landed next to her a few moments later, carrying a closed burlap sack full of unidentifiable objects.

"Where did you go, and what were you doing?" asked Tsunade.

Jiraiya sighed at her immediate interrogation.

"Just picking up a few groceries while passing through." said Jiraiya.

"Fine, whatever. Lets just hurry to my office so that we can get some answers from Tyler." said Tsunade.

* * *

She could feel the weight of her body; heavy and limp. She felt pain and discomfort throughout her back and neck. She knew she would be sore for a while.

As she lied there on what felt like a hardwood floor, she began to think about how she wound up on the floor in the first place.

She searched her memory, to the last thing she saw.

Konohamaru.

Her eyes widened and she shot up from the floor.

"Konohamaru!" exclaimed Hanabi.

"Woah, woah, easy there Hanabi!" exclaimed a familiar voice.

Hanabi turned to the left to see Iruka coming in through a doorway.

Iruka quickly walked up and knelt down to her.

"Are you alright?" asked Iruka.

Hanabi blinked.

"Iruka-sensei? What's going on? Why am I here? What happened? How long have I been out?" asked Hanabi quickly.

Iruka blinked.

_'Gets right to the point, just like her father.'_ thought Iruka.

"Hanabi. Everything is fine. This is my apartment, I brought you here." said Iruka.

Hanabi looked around.

It was a modest apartment, but she could see that it was very well kept.

Iruka stood in front of the entrance door, and to the left she could see a door that led to a nice looking kitchen. To the right was a living room set which was sitting next to the only window in the apartment, which took up most of the wall.

"I remember passing out... Did you bring me straight here?" asked Hanabi.

"We... Um, _I_ found you unconscious on a bar floor. I brought you here to make sure that you were alright. You've been out for a few hours now." said Iruka.

Hanabi's hands shot over her mouth in a realization.

"A few hours? The bar! Nobody is running it!" exclaimed Hanabi.

Hanabi scrambled to her feet, only to be held still by her sensei.

"Hanabi, relax. I have someone taking care of that as we speak. There is nothing to worry about." said Iruka.

Hanabi relaxed a bit, and took her hands down from her mouth, brushing her lips slightly on the way down.

Spontaneously, images flew into her mind. Her lips... touching Konohamaru. She remembered his surprised face during, and his happy yet nervous face after. Delving these thoughts allowed her to relive the quick and wild sensations that the kiss had provided her, but only for a fleeting moment.

Hanabi's face blushed, and out of instinct from the feeling of the recent memory, she wrapped her arms around herself, and looked at the ground bashfully.

"Konohamaru..." whispered Hanabi.

"Hm? What did you say Hanabi?" asked Iruka.

Hanabi shook herself out of it, and looked at her sensei.

"Konohamaru was there with me, is he alright?" asked Hanabi quickly.

Iruka could see the look of concern in her eyes. It made him smile slightly.

"Konohamaru is at the Sarutobi estate, probably being examined for possible head trauma." said Iruka.

Hanabi's expression turned to shock.

Hanabi grabbed Iruka by the collar of his shirt.

"Head trauma? What happened to him? Is he alright?" asked Hanabi frantically.

Iruka blinked at Hanabi's sudden actions.

Iruka calmly put his hand on hers, and lowered them down to her side.

"Hanabi, you don't remember what happened?" asked Iruka.

"Not really... I... I remember um... being with Konohamaru." stuttered Hanabi with a blush.

_'Why is she suddenly stuttering?'_ thought Iruka.

"You were with Konohamaru, but that's all you remember? You don't remember what happened with him?" asked Iruka.

Hanabi blushed deeply.

"N-Not entirely... I... I r-remember three strangers w-walking into the bar, but after that... n-n-nothing." lied Hanabi.

_'Hm... That crack to her head might have caused some memory loss... But then again, it seems like she is trying to hide something.'_ thought Iruka.

"You should probably get checked for head trauma too." said Iruka.

"What? Why?" asked Hanabi.

"You and Konohamaru both hit your heads pretty hard, which is what knocked you both unconscious." said Iruka.

"Hit our heads? On what?" asked Hanabi.

Iruka paused for a moment.

"You really don't remember?" asked Iruka.

Hanabi shook her head no.

All she remembered was Konohamaru getting close to her. Getting closer and closer before her face turned red, and she lost her consciousness. There was one thing she did remember, and that was that she kissed him.

_'I kissed him! I kissed Konohamaru! And out of a dare?'_ thought Hanabi.

These thoughts made her feel happy yet nervous. At the same time, she felt regret for kissing him out of a dare.

_'How will he react the next time we meet? Will he awkwardly ignore and avoid me? Will he even care about what happened?'_ thought Hanabi.

Iruka got up from his kneeling position and walked to the door.

"Maybe you should ask Konohamaru what happened." said Iruka.

Hanabi looked up at him in surprise.

"W-Why can't you just tell me?" asked Hanabi.

"I think it would be for the best if you talked to Konohamaru about this. I don't want anything to get blown out of proportion." said Iruka.

Hanabi didn't know what he meant by that, but she was now resolved to talk to Konohamaru.

"Well, I've sent for an escort. They should be here any minute." said Iruka.

"Escort..." mumbled Hanabi.

She knew from experience that "escort" meant her clan would be sending one or two guards to force her to go to the Hyuuga estate.

From there she would more than likely be sent straight to the medics. And after that her father would probably question her, even though he more than likely already knew what happened.

Hanabi looked down at her feet.

"Have you... Told my father what happened?" asked Hanabi quietly.

Iruka frowned.

He could see the sadness and worry in her eyes. He could tell that a confrontation with her father was something she dreaded.

"I felt it was in your own and Konohamaru's best interest... To not tell your father the details of the incident." said Iruka.

Hanabi looked up at Iruka in surprise.

"You didn't tell?" asked Hanabi in surprise.

Iruka smiled.

"Hehe, no. I didn't tell. You are one of my best students Hanabi, and I like to think that I take good care of my students." said Iruka.

Hanabi smiled, she wasn't used to people doing nice things for her.

Hanabi quickly moved forward and hugged Iruka, catching him by surprise.

"Thank you... Iruka sensei." said Hanabi quietly.

"Hanabi. You don't have to thank me." said Iruka.

They both jumped at the sound of someone knocking at the entrance door behind Iruka.

Iruka smiled and stepped back to the door.

"I assume that is your escort." said Iruka with a smile.

Iruka opened the door, and as soon as he saw who was standing in his doorway, his warm smile disappeared.

"I am here to pick up Lady Hanabi." said Daishi.

Daishi's voice was monotone, and his expression was dull and emotionless.

"Daishi..." seethed Iruka.

Hinata was one of his favorite students, and he had heard what Daishi had done.

"Daishi." said Hanabi with a frown.

"Yes Hanabi-sama?" asked Daishi.

Hanabi's fists were clenched and she was gritting her teeth. Iruka could tell she was trying to keep her temper down.

But the redness in her face told him she was having a time of it.

"Daishi, how can you be here? You should be in prison for what you did!" seethed Hanabi.

Hanabi could never forgive Daishi for what he tried to do to her sister.

Not in 1200 lifetimes.

"A few friends of my father convinced the Elders to release me from jail, under the condition that I be branded and controlled." said Daishi in monotone.

"Branded?" asked Hanabi.

Daishi reached behind his head and untied his headband.

It fell onto his hands revealing a green pattern on his forehead.

Hanabi gasped.

"What is that?" asked Iruka.

"He... He has branded with... The Forbidden Caged-Bird Seal." said Hanabi.

"The Forbidden Caged-Bird Seal?" asked Iruka.

"The original Caged-Bird Seal was designed to fully enslave the marked victim. Depletion of emotions. Erosion of free-will. The ability to destroy the marked victim at will. Complete control." said Hanabi.

Iruka blinked in surprise.

"That sounds like a terrible fate." said Iruka.

"That is exactly why we toned down the seal to only affect them physically, not mentally. We didn't think it necessary to torture our own clan members with such a terrible seal, which is why we renamed the original seal, the Forbidden Caged-Bird Seal, and simply refer to the new one as the Caged-Bird Seal." growled Hanabi.

Just Daishi's presence was making her crazed with anger. She hated him. She hated him so much for what he tried to do.

"You are correct Hanabi-sama. And as long as I am wearing this seal, the village will tolerate my sentence being outside of jail." said Daishi.

Hanabi was trembling with anger.

Her sister was very important to her. Without her mother around, Hinata was always the one to give her feminine advice when she needed it.

Hinata was always there for her, and Daishi tried to do something to her that enraged her to a boiling point.

Iruka could tell Hanabi was going to lose it.

"Daishi. Head back to the compound. Tell your current supervisor that Hanabi is already being escorted by a person on Hiashi's approved list." said Iruka.

Daishi turned and looked directly at Iruka for a moment.

"..."

It was as though Daishi was studying him.

Finally after a short pause, Daishi spoke.

"Iruka Umino, contact #23. Command accepted. I will return to the compound to relay your message Mr. Umino. " said Daishi.

Iruka nodded, and Daishi immediately left, leaving the teacher and student alone once again.

Iruka turned back to Hanabi, seeing she was still at odds with herself.

"Hanabi, you need to calm down." said Iruka.

Hanabi relaxed herself a little bit, and sighed.

She sat down on the floor and put her hands over her face.

"How could this happen... Daishi is free to roam about..." said Hanabi angrily.

She was trembling with rage. This man had tried to rape her sister. Such actions were completely unforgivable.

"But he has no free-will. No emotions to enjoy his sentence out of jail." said Iruka.

"Even still... I know it is wrong to say this... But I wish him... death." said Hanabi quietly.

Iruka was taken aback at her words. The quiet Hanabi wishing someone death.

But based on how he felt about the whole situation, he suddenly found that it wasn't all that surprising after all.

"Hanabi, those are heavy words you have just spoken." said Iruka evenly.

"I know the meaning of my own words." said Hanabi.

_'She is just like her father sometimes...'_ thought Iruka.

"As the Sandaime would have said; No matter how much they may deserve it, no one should wish death upon another." said Iruka.

"Ironic words coming from a man in his position." said Hanabi.

"Ironic, yet the words themselves are worth considering, are they not?" asked Iruka.

"Yes, but he... Onee-chan..." began Hanabi.

Iruka walked over to the entrance, and leaned back against the wall to the right of the door.

"As Naruto would say; Everyone deserves a second chance. No matter how much you think they don't deserve it." said Iruka.

The reference to Naruto made her pause for a moment, but she knew what her emotions were telling her.

"(Sigh) I will never forgive him..." said Hanabi.

"..."

Iruka frowned at her decision. Would she actually hold a grudge of death against Daishi?

"...But I won't interfere with his sentence. I will just have to live with it." said Hanabi finally.

Iruka blinked in slight surprise.

"That's very mature of you Hanabi. Considering your age, that makes it even more impressive." said Iruka.

"My age? What does my age have to do with anything?" asked Hanabi immediately.

"Hehe, well, at your age Hanabi, your body is going through certain changes that I'm sure you are well aware of." said Iruka awkwardly.

"My sister took it upon herself to tell me all about the... birds and the bees a while ago..." said Hanabi with a deep blush.

"Good. Did she also tell you that at your age you are going to begin feeling certain things that will make you... um... excited?" asked Iruka.

"Yes... She explained many things about it, and certain precautions I should follow." said Hanabi bashfully.

Hanabi was full of embarrassment, and she was turning a bit too red.

"Well at your age, when you are just starting to develop these emotions and feelings, it is harder to control because you lack the experience." said Iruka.

"Experience..." muttered Hanabi.

"Yes, at around 16 years of age, most boys and girls are experienced enough with their emotions to control their hormones. At least enough to act maturely in certain situations. So if girls or boys don't have the experience, but they do have the hormones, certain situations can become awkward and even hazardous." said Iruka.

"Situations? Like what? What do you mean?" asked Hanabi.

"Well... (Ahem) Let's say you like this boy." began Iruka awkwardly.

"Okay." said Hanabi.

"You know... like like a boy." said Iruka.

"Like like?" asked Hanabi with a frown.

"Um... How do I put this... Have you ever... gotten to know a boy?" asked Iruka.

"Um, yes. I've gotten to know a few of them in class..." said Hanabi.

"Alright good. Have you gotten particularly close to any of them? Have you spent some time with them outside of school?" asked Iruka.

"Well yeah, I've spent a lot of time with Konohamaru and his friends outside of school." said Hanabi.

"Konohamaru eh?" asked Iruka.

_'That figures...'_ thought Iruka.

"Do you see any qualities in Konohamaru or his friends that you like?" asked Iruka.

"Well... I really like Konohamaru..." said Hanabi with a blush.

"Oh? And why is that?" asked Iruka.

"Well... He isn't afraid to stand up and tell others what is truly right and what is truly wrong. He is nice and considerate, and he never seems to let anything bother him." said Hanabi.

"Okay. But let me ask you a question. Have you been starting to feel differently around Konohamaru? Only around Konohamaru?" asked Iruka.

Hanabi put her palms flat on the floor in front of her. She was looking intently at the floor, but she wasn't really looking at the floor itself. She was running through how she felt in her mind, grabbing all the moments she had been around Konohamaru, and remembering how she felt each time she felt it.

"...Well... Yes. For around a month now... He, he makes me happy. He makes me feel... weird." said Hanabi.

"Weird? Weird how?" asked Iruka.

"Well... not really weird... but... it's more like... It's like..." began Hanabi.

She knew how she felt, but she didn't know how to describe the emotions, or what the emotions meant.

"It's like he makes you happy for no reason. It's like he makes you feel good, better than you've ever felt. But when you get near him, you get nervous. You get nervous because you suddenly care about how you act around him, and what he thinks of you. You want him to think you are the most wonderful, beautiful girl in the world. You want him to notice you, but every time you two meet, you get very nervous and can't do anything the way you want to. You feel awkward and the situation feels weird. But at the same time, you feel fantastic just because he is simply near you. Because you know that he is someone special. Someone who cares about you and makes you feel like you could do anything you wanted... Except tell him how or why you feel the way you do around him." said Iruka.

Hanabi's mouth was slightly open, her eyes were wide and she seemed to be holding her breath.

"Th-that... " stuttered Hanabi.

She leaned back and laid down on the floor, staring at the ceiling.

Hanabi said nothing for about a minute, thinking deeply about what Iruka had just said.

"Th-that's almost exactly w-what it's like! How... H-How can you know this?" exclaimed Hanabi.

"Hehe... Well, it's kind of a long story, but it had to do with Kurenai coming to me to ask for a little... masculine advice." said Iruka.

"Masculine advice?" asked Hanabi.

"Well, apparently, your sister had come to Kurenai, asking for dating advice similar to what I have just told you." said Iruka.

Hanabi sat up from the floor and looked directly at Iruka.

"M-my sister?" asked Hanabi.

"Yes. She had feelings for a certain boy, and she didn't really understand everything she was feeling. She only had a vague idea, and she wanted to put it into perspective. So she went to Kurenai for advice. But the problem was that Kurenai knew everything about the feminine side, but almost nothing about the masculine side. She understood how women felt, and what women wanted, but she didn't really know the male side to it. She didn't want to tell Hinata something that might ruin her chances in the end, because she herself had no dating experience at the time. So, being a friend of hers that she trusted, she came to me for the masculine side of the advice. I told her everything she needed to know. Needless to say, it was an awkward and uncomfortable discussion." said Iruka.

Hanabi said nothing, but her eyes seemed glued to Iruka's face, not taking her eyes off of him for even a second.

_'She must really need some advice, otherwise she wouldn't be so attentive.'_ thought Iruka.

"Well Hanabi, after Kurenai got what she wanted from me, she went to Hinata and gave her all the advice she could about boys. She tried her best to describe to Hinata what her feelings meant, and how she should try to go about it. After Kurenai finished talking to Hinata, she came back to me to tell me how it went. Kurenai told me everything your sister revealed. She told me, word for word what Hinata said when she described how she felt around a certain boy. Hehe, I myself thought it was cute and innocent when I heard it..." said Iruka.

Hanabi sat there attentively, interested to hear about her older sister. And at the same time, she was interested to hear about this tantalizing new subject to _study_.

"Now, when you were having trouble describing to me how you felt, all I did was say something along the lines of what your sister said to Kurenai." said Iruka.

"W-what?" stuttered Hanabi in surprise.

"The way you feel, is almost exactly what your sister felt all of those years ago. I believe that at your age, I would call these feelings, a crush." said Iruka.

"A... A crush? Will that hurt?" asked Hanabi in concern.

"Haha, no Hanabi, it won't hurt." laughed Iruka.

Hanabi blushed and looked down, knowing that she had probably said something stupid.

"When someone your age, has feelings for another, like the ones you have been feeling, we call that a crush." said Iruka.

"..."

Hanabi had a contemplative look on her face.

After a few quiet moments of thinking, Hanabi spoke again.

"This crush... Is it like how Hinata feels about Naruto?" asked Hanabi curiously.

"Haha... Well, I wouldn't say that. I think the way Hinata feels about Naruto is on a whole other level. She loves Naruto. It's different than a crush. But if you tell Konohamaru how you feel, and you two become more than just friends, maybe one day you two will feel the way your sister and Naruto feel now." said Iruka.

Hanabi froze and her face turned red.

"I-If I t-t-tell him? N-n-n-nono-no NO! I can't tell him! I-I couldn't p-possibly..." stammered Hanabi.

_'She's acting completely out of character... This is almost... bizarre.' _thought Iruka.

Iruka studied her for a moment.

"Nervous about how he might react?" asked Iruka.

Hanabi paused for a moment before nodding bashfully.

"Well, you might never know how he feels in return if you don't tell him soon." said Iruka.

"W-what? W-w-why?" exclaimed Hanabi in surprise.

"Well, maybe he'll fall for another girl and ask her out before you have a chance to tell him the truth." said Iruka.

Hanabi's mouth dropped.

She never considered something like that.

_'What if he falls for Moegi before I can have a chance to tell him?'_ thought Hanabi frantically.

"Iruka! How can I tell him how I feel?" asked Hanabi desperately.

Iruka blinked.

"Well, um... You could start with words like... Konohamaru, I really like you, would you like to go out with me sometime. Saying something like that would probably be a good start." said Iruka awkwardly.

"B-but what if I m-mess up? What if I say something s-stupid or something to make him think I'm w-weird?" exclaimed Hanabi.

"Hahaha... Heh, you truly are your sister's sister." said Iruka with a smile.

"Iruka-sensei!" complained Hanabi.

"Let me give you a little advice. Just act like yourself. Tell him how you feel, from your heart. If you never tell him, you may just have something to regret for the rest of your life." said Iruka.

Hanabi mouth dropped back open at first, but after she thought about it, she looked at the floor.

Hanabi nodded but kept her vision on the floor.

"Okay... I understand..." said Hanabi quietly.

Iruka nodded and walked to the window.

Iruka stuck his hand out the window and signaled someone to come in.

Jiraiya jumped in through the window, landing on the floor with a thud, quickly sending Hanabi onto her feet.

"J-Jiraiya-kyou!" exclaimed Hanabi.

"Kyou? Heh, probably a refreshing change from Ero-Sennin..." chuckled Iruka.

"Ero-Sennin?" asked Hanabi curiously.

"Ssshh! It's bad enough having just one person call you that, don't encourage her too!" exclaimed Jiraiya.

Iruka only chuckled in response, making Jiraiya sigh.

Jiraiya turned to Hanabi.

"Well my dear, I hear you are in need of an escort." said Jiraiya with a smile.

Hanabi smiled and nodded.

"Hanabi, Jiraiya will be escorting you to your estate where I'm sure your clan will be awaiting you with medics." said Iruka.

Hanabi nodded and walked over to the window next to Jiraiya.

"Right then, off we go." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya wrapped his arm around Hanabi's waist and held her to his side.

"Thank you Iruka-sensei... For everything..." said Hanabi quietly.

Iruka smiled and nodded.

Jiraiya nodded to Iruka, and jumped out the window with Hanabi in tow.

_'(Sigh) I hope I gave Hanabi good enough advice...'_ thought Iruka in concern.

* * *

It was getting to the point where this was becoming more troublesome than it needed to be.

Shikamaru walked with a stack of papers in hand, sorting through them while reading them.

_'Tsunade certainly has me doing a lot of research and record flagging...'_ thought Shikamaru.

He knew that something was up. Tsunade was suddenly sending all ANBU from their normal posts to undisclosed locations that seemed to periodically change at random.

_'I know that there have been a lot of enemy sightings... but there has to be something else, something bigger going on than just this. What could she possibly be anticipating?'_ thought Shikamaru.

As he thought about it, he accidentally bumped into someone, nearly dropping his papers.

He immediately recognized the baggy black jumpsuit.

"Well, if it isn't Shikamaru." said Kankurou.

"Hey. Have you seen Temari?" asked Shikamaru.

"Well not recently, but I know she's looking for you." said Kankurou.

"Yeah, I figured. But I'm really busy right now, so even if she found me, I wouldn't be able to..." began Shikamaru.

"Shika!" exclaimed a voice.

Shikamaru eyes widened.

"Wait No! Temari!" exclaimed Shikamaru.

Temari tackled him to the ground, knocking his papers everywhere.

"Temari!" complained Shikamaru.

"Teehee, Hiya Shika." said Temari sexily.

"(Sigh) Get off of me Temari." said Shikamaru.

Temari smiled and got up off of him, helping him up after she stood.

Before Shikamaru could say anything, Temari lunged forward and held him closely, her nose touching his.

"Shika... Let's go do something... You know, something romantic..." said Temari slyly.

"Temari, I can't. I'm much too busy with my assignments to be doing anything today." said Shikamaru.

Temari's smile went to a frown as she let him go.

"Shikamaru, you are always so busy whenever I want to do anything..." complained Temari.

Shikamaru was down on the floor, picking up his papers.

"That's because I'm always busy. I'm under the direct orders of the Hokage, just like the ANBU. I don't really have time to do anything I want... Except to eat then sleep near nightfall." said Shikamaru.

"Well... Maybe we could do something after nightfall..." said Temari suggestively.

Shikamaru blushed a light red as he finished picking up his papers.

Shikamaru stood and turned to Kankurou.

"Do you mind if I talk to your sister for a moment?" asked Shikamaru.

It was more of a suggestion to leave instead of a question to be answered. But Kankurou nodded and waved goodbye before turning and walking away.

Shikamaru waited until Kankurou was gone before he turned back to Temari.

"(Sigh) Temari, every time you suggest something like this, you end up getting me alone in bed..." began Shikamaru.

"Yeah..." said Temari sexily.

"You end up getting me excited about sex..." continued Shikamaru.

"Yeah..." said Temari with a blush.

"And then you always end up stopping and telling me that you're not ready." said Shikamaru.

Temari went from sly and forward, to sad and withdrawn.

She frowned and looked at her feet.

"I'm... I'm sorry Shikamaru... I always think I'm ready, but once I get to that point..." began Temari.

Shikamaru watched her. Her eyes shone with sadness, and her face revealed guilt.

Her demeanor had changed too quickly, and it had caught him off guard.

"I... I get scared. I don't mean to rile you up like that for nothing... I... I want to do it... I want to go to that next step but..." said Temari quietly.

Shikamaru looked at her carefully. Trying to think of the right thing to say in a moment like this. But instead of delving into it, he became lazy and just said what was on his mind.

"(Sigh) Temari, just do me a favor. The next time you plan on doing something like that, be ready to commit to it." said Shikamaru.

Shikamaru watched Temari's expression turn to a deeper sadness. Her eyes started to tear up slightly.

Shikamaru felt an invisible hand grab onto his heart and clench it tightly with guilt.

_'Troublesome...'_ thought Shikamaru.

"(Sigh) Listen Temari. I really like you. I really like spending time with you. Dinners, theaters, picnics, stuff I hate, or whatever. I enjoy being with you. But I can't stand being riled up like that over and over. To be honest, it's slowly killing me." said Shikamaru.

Temari still looked sad, so Shikamaru leaned close to her, and pressed his body against hers. He put two fingers underneath her chin, and lifted her head to face him. He leaned in and kissed her on the lips. She blinked in surprise for a second before closing her eyes. The last time they kissed like this seemed like forever ago to her. She moaned lightly and took hold of Shikamaru's spiky ponytail. After a few seconds, Shikamaru pulled away, moving her hands off of himself. The kiss was fleeting, but so very caring.

"Sh-Shika..." whispered Temari, her eyes still closed.

"If you want be with me, try not to drive me insane." said Shikamaru with a smile.

He walked past her, continuing towards the Hokage tower.

"If you want to do something tonight, you know where I'll be." said Shikamaru.

Temari opened her eyes, turned around, and smirked at Shikamaru.

_'My Shikamaru... He can be so romantic... Romantic and lazy...'_ thought Temari.

Shikamaru continued down through the marketplace, on his way back to the Hokage tower.

_'Sometimes, she can really be a handful... (Sigh) Maybe falling in love with a bossy female is a male Nara tradition...'_ thought Shikamaru.

As Shikamaru compared the similarities between his parents relationship, and his relationship, he sensed a familiar chakra.

It was getting nearer and nearer.

_'Where do I know that chakra from?'_ thought Shikamaru.

He knew that the only reason he sensed it, was because the output was higher than everybody else's. Whoever they were, they were using their chakra for something.

There were several memories related to that chakra, most of them related to Ino.

"Shikamaru!" shouted a voice angrily.

Shikamaru turned around to see Inoichi Yamanaka angrily sprinting straight at him.

Shikamaru took a few steps back, not knowing what to think.

"I'll get you, you filthy little heathen!" yelled Inoichi.

Inoichi jumped into the air.

Shikamaru turned and frantically ran, while Inoichi landed where Shikamaru just was, his kunai buried in the ground.

Shikamaru had a head start, but Inoichi took off after him.

"I'll get you for touching my little princess!" shouted Inoichi.

* * *

The ground was cold and hard. He felt the sandy texture of it against his cheek.

_'Dirt...'_ thought Konohamaru half-consciously.

He tried to lift himself from the ground, but his body felt heavy.

_'I must have been knocked out...'_ thought Konohamaru.

He knew that from experience, getting knocked out left you feeling heavy when you next awoke. A lot of hard training in the past made this heavy feeling seem almost normal to him.

He finally opened his eyes to only be greeted with darkness. A very dark room. But he could make out cement walls with stains on them.

He knew this room, he knew it all too well. He knew that those stains on the wall were blood stains. He recognized the dirt floor, he remembered how many times his face had been smashed and ground against it. This was the room where he was beaten and mistreated over and over.

As soon as he recognized it, he panicked and sought to flee this horrible place.

_'Punishment room.'_ thought Konohamaru in fear.

He quickly turned and dashed for an exit, although he didn't know where one was.

Every time he left this place, he was carried out, unconscious and bruised. So he didn't know where to go.

He ran forward, but there didn't seem to be any end to the room, it seemed to expand forever into the darkness, no matter how long he ran.

He was beginning to hyperventilate. He was scared, alone, and scarred. Scarred from the horrible memories from the place. The memories are what caused him to panic, the fear they brought was enough to disorient his better judgement.

He could hear faint voices, whispering quietly back and forth.

He couldn't tell what they were saying, but he knew that they were talking about him.

He ran into the darkness for what seemed like forever, until something struck him hard in the face.

His head slammed backwards into the ground, causing immediate disorientation, a concussion, and a headache.

He sat up with his hands over his face.

His vision was blurred from the concussion, but he could still see fuzzy outlines and colors.

When he got a good look at his red hands, he knew that his nose was broken.

Before he could collect himself, he received a swift punch in the gut, sending him four feet straight up into the air.

He dropped straight down, and landed on his knees. The shock from the landing shot up his spine, causing him to collapse painfully onto his side.

Before he could move, he felt a hard kick slam him in his side, knocking the wind out of him.

The kick sent him into the darkness where he was stopped painfully by one of the cement walls that made up the room.

He fell from the wall to the ground, gasping for breathe, but receiving none.

The kick had knocked the wind out of him, and badly bruised his ribs.

He tried to get his breathe back, but before he could, he felt a sharp pain in his back.

He knew that the pain was his shoulder blades being simultaneously dislocated.

Because he wasn't able to use his arms, he fell face-first to the ground.

He still heard the voices, although none of the voices were familiar, he knew all of their last names.

Sarutobi.

As he laid there in pain, he knew he still had to get out of there.

He tried to stand, but felt one of the worst pains a man can feel.

A hard kick to his groin slammed him back against the wall.

His knees hit the ground, he fell to the side, and he emptied the contents of his stomach.

His whole body seemed like it was racked with pain. His groin was throbbing with a pain that seemed to seep within every nerve in his body.

Unable to breathe, stand, or fight back, Konohamaru fell onto his back, cringing with pain.

"I don't... know..." rasped Konohamaru.

The voices stopped whispering, as though responding to the sound of his voice.

"I don't know... what I've done... wrong..." rasped Konohamaru painfully.

In response, he received a swift kick to the head, tumbling him across the room.

He couldn't see because of the concussion, and he couldn't move most of his body, but he righted himself as well as he could.

"Tell me... What I've... done wrong." rasped Konohamaru.

Suddenly Konohamaru moved his limp arms in front of his head, fending off an invisible kick to his head.

The force from the kick still sent him flying backwards, but he managed to stay on his feet.

"TELL ME!" shouted Konohamaru painfully.

He wouldn't give up, he wouldn't give in. If Naruto never gave in, then neither would he.

The whispering was louder than ever now, but he still couldn't make out what they were saying.

Suddenly, a voice ripped through the whispers, decibels far higher than the other voices.

"If you don't know what you have done wrong, then you are being punished for not knowing right from wrong." said a voice.

Konohamaru struggled to sit up, but could only hold himself up half-way with the strength he had.

"I have... no guilt... I have done... nothing wrong..." rasped Konohamaru.

The kick was quicker this time, and it was directed at his legs.

He felt a kneecap pop as he tumbled across the room again, the wall stopping him once more.

He struggled to move, and the pain was overwhelming. All he could fully concentrate on was his own voice.

"This... is... pointless... I will learn... nothing... unless I... I know what... I've done..." rasped Konohamaru.

His voice was getting a bit better, but not by much.

There was another silence, this one lasted for only a few seconds.

"Not so Honorable Grandson... Think. What did you do today, that was different from any other day?" asked the voice.

Konohamaru frowned, thinking for only a moment.

It didn't take long for memories of Hanabi's face to pop up. Hanabi being nice to him, holding him, and finally kissing him on the lips.

Hanabi's image showed up in his mind, and she even had a smile on her face.

As soon as her face showed up, it dawned on Konohamaru.

"No... That..." rasped Konohamaru.

Suddenly, hands grabbed her picture from all sides, and pulled her into the darkness, never to be seen again.

_'It can't be that! They can't do that!'_ thought Konohamaru desperately.

"Ah. Judging by the look on your face I see you have pieced it together. You can no longer do such things. You are to stay away." said the voice.

The hands of the elders were powerful, able to do nearly anything. And they were going to take Hanabi away from him. She was one of his good friends. They had known each other since they were very young. It was only recently that he was beginning to feel differently about her, but she was still important to him. Not being able to see her ever again seemed awful, especially after they had just kissed.

"No... You can't..." rasped Konohamaru, tears running down his face.

He felt a firm palm strike his face, knocking him to the ground. The welt from the hit already forming a bruise on his face.

"Do you not understand the severity of such a situation? You could have started a devastating civil war!" roared the voice.

He felt another hand grab his face and press it against the ground.

"Do you have any idea what would happen if Konoha's strongest clan was suddenly pitted against its own allies? Countless lives could have been lost!" continued the voice.

Konohamaru felt his head being painfully lifted by his hair, only for his skull to be cracked against the ground.

His world blurred several different hazy colors, each color more painful than the last.

He felt consciousness leaving him, he couldn't take much more of this pain.

"Do you want what happened to the Uchiha clan to happen to the Sarutobi clan?" exclaimed the voice.

Konohamaru blacked out, the last thing the voice said echoed in his subdued mind.

* * *

Her lengthened search for this man was beginning to annoy her.

The first time, she was searching for Naruto and Hinata's kidnapper. The second time, she was searching for a possible internal threat. And now, she was searching for him, because he could cause a risk in her political integrity.

_'Damn this man! Damn him and his annoyances to hell!'_ thought Tsunade.

This man had caused her nothing but trouble.

Although he had straightened out and organized the entire library, formed new and more efficient formations among ANBU ranks, and he was pretty God damn good at referencing documents based on real-life situations and decisions to be formed into law for a Government to uphold its structural integrity based on the passing of such documents.

_'Okay, maybe he isn't so bad... But God damn it he is so hard to find!'_ thought Tsunade.

Tsunade finally exited the market, and the Hokage tower was right in front of her.

_'If he isn't at home, he should still be at work around now...'_ thought Tsunade.

She stormed up to the Hokage tower, opening the door with a slam.

Almost immediately, Shizune came scrambling up to her with her clipboard in hand, shuffling around her papers with her pen.

"Tsunade! Where have you been?" exclaimed Shizune.

"Where have I been? Where were you for this morning's meeting?" raged Tsunade.

Shizune shrunk under Tsunade's anger, feeling smaller by the second.

"Tsunade! Wait, I can explain!" exclaimed Shizune.

Tsunade responded by spinning Shizune around so that she wasn't facing her.

Tsunade reached into the back of her waistline, grabbed fabric, and pulled up hard.

"AAAAHHH!" squealed Shizune.

Tsunade gave Shizune an atomic wedgie, lifting her off of the ground.

"AH-HA! A velvet black thong! Deidara was telling the truth!" said Tsunade.

Tsunade let go of Shizune's underpants, letting her fall to the floor.

Shizune reached in between her legs in extreme discomfort, trying to get everything back into place.

"You skipped out on a VERY important meeting to go thong-hunting?" raged Tsunade.

Shizune laid on the floor, weeping for her now-ruined undergarments.

"You will pay for this Shizune. Until then, I have some business to attend to." said Tsunade.

Tsunade walked up to the front desk, and looked into the small room that was the admissions office.

It wasn't Tyler that she saw sitting at the desk, but Kotetsu instead.

"Kotetsu!" yelled Tsunade.

"Iwasn'tsleepin!" muttered Kotetsu loudly before falling from his chair.

He got up to see Tsunade glaring at him.

"H-Hokage-sama! How may I help you?" asked Kotetsu awkwardly.

"Tyler. Where is he? Why?" asked Tsunade quickly.

"T-Tyler? You mean Tairaa? He couldn't be here today, the demand for ANBU operatives suddenly shot up after you ordered most of the ANBU to be on patrol, so he is acting as an ANBU operative for today." said Kotetsu.

"..."

"ANBU you say?" asked Tsunade blankly.

Jiraiya came in through the window, landing on the floor.

(Thud)

"If Tyler isn't here, then why are you here Kotetsu?" asked Jiraiya immediately.

"I am here to replace Tyler for the day..." said Kotetsu.

Tsunade seemed to be examining Jiraiya.

"Where were you?" asked Tsunade.

"Putting away my groceries..." mumbled Jiraiya.

"Groceries? It took you that long?" asked Tsunade skeptically.

Jiraiya decided to ignore her paranoia for now.

"(Sigh) Well Tsunade, if Tairaa is an acting ANBU officer, where would be the best place to look for him?" asked Jiraiya.

Tsunade slapped a hand over her face, letting it slide slowly down it until it hung at her side.

"Back where we just were..." muttered Tsunade angrily.

"Right then, back to apartment complex 4." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya grabbed Tsunade and quickly pulled her out the door.

"Off we go!" proclaimed Jiraiya gallantly as he swept Tsunade off her feet.

"Jiraiya!" complained Tsunade.

"Tsunade!" exclaimed Shizune.

"Shizune." chimed Kotetsu.

"Kotetsu..." sighed Shizune.

She could still hear Tsunade complaining off in the distance.

Shizune got up uncomfortably, picked up her notepad, and pulled out the Hokage's hat.

"Well now who's going to do all of Tsunade's duties as Hokage?" asked Shizune incredulously.

"I'll do it, how hard could it be to be Tsunade?" asked Kotetsu as he grabbed the hat from Shizune.

"Kotetsu! You can't just..." began Shizune.

Ignoring her, Kotetsu put on the hat, puffed out his chest, and put his hands on his hips.

"Hello! I'm Tsunade! I'm the ornery big-boobed Hokage of Konohagakure!" said Kotetsu proudly.

"Kotetsu!" exclaimed Shizune.

"Careful not to bother me between the hours of 6:00 A.M., Monday, to 6:00 A.M., Monday, or I'll bite your head off." said Kotetsu.

"Kotetsu knock it off!" exclaimed Shizune.

"I need to be constantly drunk, otherwise I lose my mind and accidentally kick people in the crotch. Men or woman, it doesn't matter to me." said Kotetsu.

"Kotetsu, if you don't stop..." warned Shizune.

"Shizune! More ale, wench!" demanded Kotetsu.

(Bam!)

Shizune punched Kotetsu in the head, knocking him to the floor.

"I told you to knock it off." said Shizune as she nursed her hand.

She picked up the hat from Kotetsu, and hung it at her side.

Kotetsu got up, rubbing his head.

"Pft, no sense of humor..." muttered Kotetsu.

* * *

Tsunade gave up trying to free herself from Jiraiya's grasp.

Jiraiya jumped across the rooftops, making a quick path to the Shinobi apartment complexes.

"Jiraiya, I'm perfectly capable of walking." said Tsunade flatly.

"So am I, but nobody is carrying me." said Jiraiya.

"...So what's the difference between you, and I?" asked Tsunade

"I don't have a man in love with me." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade blushed.

Jiraiya merely continued jumping, not even stopping to look at her.

_'He can be so romantic sometimes...'_ thought Tsunade.

"At least I hope not." added Jiraiya.

Tsunade scoffed and hit him lightly in the head.

"And we wonder where Naruto gets his charismatic personality." joked Tsunade.

"I still do. I may be boisterous at times, but Naruto is on another level." said Jiraiya.

"I don't know Jiraiya, you were pretty over the top at his age." said Tsunade.

"Yeah I-WOAH!" exclaimed Jiraiya.

Jiraiya suddenly ducked down and did a front flip in mid-jump.

He landed awkwardly at the next rooftop, but he recovered swiftly.

He whipped around to see a cloaked figure land right next to him on the roof.

"Jiraiya-sama. It's been a while since I've seen you." said the man.

"Jiraiya, who is this?" asked Tsunade.

"The last time I saw you... You were fighting my sensei." said the man.

Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"What are you doing here? What's going on that would cause you to risk coming here alone?" asked Jiraiya sternly.

"Oh, I'm not alone. I've got a few friends with me." said the man.

"You better not try anything." warned Jiraiya.

"Tell me where he is." said the man abruptly.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Even I don't know. Only a select few know, and they won't tell you." said Jiraiya.

"Tch. Don't lie to me Jiraiya-sama. You know, and even if you don't, there's no way that _you_ wouldn't know... Tsunade-sama." said the man with a smirk.

Tsunade felt Jiraiya's grip on her tighten.

"Jiraiya, let me go, I can handle this guy." said Tsunade.

"Ordinarily I would let you take him on, but this time is different. You have a slim chance of beating this man, he knows all of your moves and techniques." said Jiraiya.

"Just because he knows them, doesn't mean that he can stop me!" barked Tsunade.

"That could be true, but in this instance, I would be more than happy to prove you wrong." said the man.

Jiraiya could feel Tsunade's anger quickly rise.

"Listen you two, and listen well." said the man.

"I happen to know that most of your best Shinobi, are either in foreign countries, or are assigned to missions where they cannot get to Konoha within one week if they were contacted." said Kabuto.

"How could you possibly know that?" asked Tsunade.

"Let's just say, I have my sources." said the man.

Tsunade's eyes widened.

She quickly remembered something that a certain annoying ninja had said recently.

(Quick Flashback)

"Yes, I have been to many labs in many countries, but only two villages aside from my own have accepted me. But even at home, most people wouldn't accept me... you know how that is, don't you Naruto?" asked Tairaa.

(End Flashback)

_'Tairaa has been to many countries. He's new. And he works close to me, the leader.'_ thought Tsunade.

"Jiraiya, I think I know who his source is." said Tsunade.

"I had a feeling you would." said Jiraiya.

The man scoffed.

"You have one week. One week to turn him over to us." said the man.

"And if we don't?" asked Jiraiya.

The man paused for only a moment.

"I will order my men to attack Konoha. All of them." said the man.

Tsunade and Jiraiya's eyes widened.

"But what if we can't-" began Tsunade.

"One week." said the man.

He disappeared, leaving them alone once again.

"Jiraiya, was that..." said Tsunade.

"Yes, and if we only have one week before we are attacked, we need to be ready to act before then." said Jiraiya.

"Right, but that doesn't change what we need to do right now. Tyler could be a spy in our village, and this encounter only makes him seem more suspicious." said Tsunade.

"We need to find him now." said Jiraiya.

"Yes, so let me down, I want to be on my feet." said Tsunade.

"That would probably be for the best." said Jiraiya as he let her down.

When Tsunade landed on the ground, she stood up straight and cracked her knuckles.

"Let's do this." said Tsunade.

* * *

He sat at his kitchen table, still looking quite peeved.

The Hyuuga guards that stood around the table seemed anxious or ashamed.

The whole room was filled with guards, but none of them were looking at Hiashi.

They were all looking at their feet, not wanting to look their Lord in the face.

A heavy silence had already passed, and the tension among the guards was thick.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Hiashi spoke.

"... Does anyone want to... enlighten me..." began Hiashi.

The guards flinched at the sound of his voice, knowing that they had screwed up.

Hiashi continued.

"... Enlighten me why... I was lying on the ground for three hours... with a dislocated hip, and a pissed off expression on my face?" asked Hiashi calmly.

The guards knew that in these situations, the calmer Hiashi appeared, the angrier he actually was.

"Why was I lying on the ground, helpless... in the safest most secure compound in Konoha... which also happens to have the highest guard per capita in Konoha..." continued Hiashi.

The guards could feel Hiashi's anger.

The more seasoned guards stood their ground, but one of the younger guards near the entrance fainted.

Hiashi paid him no mind.

"Tell me why I was left helpless when I have over 200 guards currently posted at this compound." said Hiashi.

It was more of a command than a statement, but not a single guard could answer him.

After a long silence, finally one guard raised his head, and spoke.

"We didn't know that you were hurt..." said the guard quietly.

All the guards near him backed away from him like he had a contagious terminal illness.

They were looking at the single guard like he was insane.

A short moment passed, and all of the guards nervously looked at Hiashi to see his reaction.

Hiashi did not move. He showed no emotion.

And yet it seemed like Hiashi was trembling with rage, even if he did not move a muscle.

Hiashi finally responded.

"Why didn't you know that I was hurt?" asked Hiashi.

This time, his question was directed at this one guard, and this one guard only.

The guard now deeply regretted speaking up at all. The tension and pressure was unbearable.

"I g-guess, we didn't... see you..." said the guard.

The guard had nearly whispered his words, but since the room was dead silent, it was easy for Hiashi to hear.

"You didn't see me." said Hiashi flatly.

"You... didn't see... me?" asked Hiashi.

The guards in the room were mortified at the direction this conversation was taking.

They could feel Hiashi's rage building to a peak.

"I WAS LYING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GOD DAMN LAWN! GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR ASSES AND GET BACK TO YOUR POSTS! NOW!" shouted Hiashi.

By the time Hiashi finished his sentence, the room was empty.

Even the fainted man was dragged away quickly.

He would admit, it was funny seeing his guards scramble out of the room in the way they did.

_'Maybe now the guards will take their jobs seriously.'_ thought Hiashi.

Maybe now that he had some alone time, he could think about all that was going on.

_'Hinata, Neji, Hanabi... All of them are in deep trouble...'_ thought Hiashi.

His youngest was a drunk.

His eldest might explode.

And his Nephew had serious issues with the higher ups of his own clan.

_'I still wonder if they will be alright...'_ thought Hiashi.

* * *

At the Hyuuga manor, Jiraiya was having an easy time of sneaking past the guards. With his skills, it wasn't very challenging.

Jiraiya ended up dropping off Hanabi in her family kitchen.

He set down her small body on the wooden kitchen floor.

"Well Hanabi, if you ever need any help, you know you can always get a hold of me." said Jiraiya.

Before Hanabi could thank him for everything, Jiraiya disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Hanabi blinked in surprise.

_'He was a shadow clone... Jiraiya-kyou must be very busy. I'll have to thank him for this later...'_ thought Hanabi.

Hanabi let her mind wander. She was experiencing new things, and this most recent experience had her thinking more than ever.

Hanabi walked through the hall past the kitchen, thinking about herself and Konohamaru.

_'I've already made up my mind, I want to try to go out with Konohamaru...'_ thought Hanabi.

The thought of him caused her cheeks to flush red.

'_My sister is always blushing... And now that I understand why, I should stop teasing her about it...'_ thought Hanabi.

She walked past her family portrait, giving it a glance before stopping to look into her father's study.

Her father wasn't in there like she was expecting.

_'Father... I suppose I should talk to him about Konohamaru... After all he is my father, and he only wants to do what is right for me... So maybe if I tell him, and listen to what he has to say in return, I'll have a better understanding of what I should be doing in my situation.' _thought Hanabi.

She already knew he wasn't in the massive backyard garden, because she was just there.

_'And if he isn't in his office, he is probably out on the front deck, leaning against the railing.'_ thought Hanabi.

She walked a bit down the hall to the luxurious front doorway.

She opened the door and looked to her right, smiling at what she saw.

Hiashi was on his wheelchair, leaning against the railing like she knew he would be.

She noticed he was sitting in what looked like a brand-new wheelchair.

"Otou-sama! Guess what?" asked Hanabi excitedly.

Hiashi looked up to see his daughter running towards him.

She looked quite happy and upbeat.

This drastic change in her usual demeanor caught him quite off-guard.

"What is it Hanabi?" asked Hiashi.

Hanabi didn't know how else to say this, but she wanted her father to know.

"I really like a boy! " blurted Hanabi happily.

Hiashi would have had a heart attack, but his medical bills were already too expensive as it was.

"R-Really? (Ahem) H-How nice..." said Hiashi with a fake smile.

"Yeah! I think he really likes me... You know... since he let me kiss him..." said Hanabi with a blush.

Hiashi's eyes widened and he turned away from his daughter for a second to lean against the hand-rail, face-down.

"Daddy... Are you alright?" asked Hanabi.

"I'm perfectly fine." lied Hiashi.

He was so stressed he was seeing spots for some reason.

He looked over the railing, pretending to be looking at the village scenery.

"Well Hanabi, I would like to meet this boy." said Hiashi as calmly as possible.

_'So that I can make him disappear quietly into the night...'_ thought Hiashi.

_'Father seems to be taking this quite well...' _thought Hanabi in surprise.

"Well... I think it might be a little early for that father..." said Hanabi with a blush.

Hiashi paused for a moment to think, and to partially regain his composure.

"Alright then. Tell me when or if you want me to meet him, and I will oblige when the time comes." said Hiashi.

_'He's fine with me dating at my age! It must mean that it is alright!'_ thought Hanabi with glee.

Hanabi smiled at her father. The happiness on her face shone brightly.

"You know father, I was expecting you to deny me to see a boy at my age... I'm really glad that you're being so... nice about this." said Hanabi awkwardly.

Hiashi paused for a second.

"Yes well, I suppose I do have my moments from time to time." said Hiashi.

Hanabi stepped forward, and gave her father a tight hug.

Hiashi was surprised at first. It felt like he hadn't had any physical contact with his daughter since she was a baby. And she was suddenly hugging him.

"Thank you father. You have no idea how much I appreciate this." said Hanabi softly.

Hanabi practically skipped away. She was without a doubt the happiest he had ever seen her.

Hiashi sighed heavily.

Never-the-less, he knew what needed to be done in a situation like this.

Hiashi reached his right hand up, made a cross-chop-motion, then snapped his fingers.

A shinobi appeared in front of Hiashi, kneeling in respect of his authority.

He looked like an ANBU operative, only he wore the traditional Hyuuga white with the Hyuuga crest.

The guard said nothing, for fear of speaking out of turn.

"I want you to follow Hanabi discreetly. If she comes in contact with any boy, in any way that would upset a father... Holding hands, hugging, ...or even kissing. Get all available information on him immediately." said Hiashi.

"Yes Lord Hiashi." said the Hyuuga ANBU.

He disappeared in a twirl of leaves, an official Hyuuga shunshin.

_'I know I will feel bad for doing this to Hanabi, but I also feel that I will regret it more if I don't.' _thought Hiashi.

Hiashi turned around and headed away from the front gate. He turned and went down the newly built wheelchair ramp.

_'Give your men a little incentive, and they build a wheelchair ramp for you...'_ thought Hiashi.

The ramp led him down to a path through the yard.

The path split three ways, straight forward, left, or back the way he came.

Instead, he went to the right, following an unmarked path.

The path lead towards one of the many sections that made up the vast gardens of the Hyuuga estate.

This section consisted of many lilac trees.

Hiashi wheeled himself through the complex paths, not taking the time to admire the beautiful flowers.

He stopped his wheelchair and activated his Byakugan.

He looked around, seeing various guards around.

But none of them were looking directly at him.

Knowing he was in the clear, Hiashi quickly disappeared into some thick bushes.

He continued down the secret path until he came upon a statue, one that looked like it hadn't been touched in years.

The statue was of two symbols.

One symbol was the Hyuuga symbol, the other was a red spiral.

Hiashi wheeled up to the statue to face it.

He closed his eyes, and his hands went into a blur, only one of his strikes actually hitting the statue.

The statue hummed lightly before a flash of light enveloped Hiashi.

After the flash of light ended, Hiashi was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Hanabi skipped away happily from what was probably the friendliest encounter she had ever had with her father.

_'I can't believe father was so nice about this. He didn't even force me to tell him his name!' _thought Hanabi happily.

She jumped down past the front stairs, and walked with a skip in her step.

She nodded to the two guards at the entrance before hopping over the large gate and heading into the village.

Hanabi skipped through the low-line residential area, making her way to the upper-line residential area.

She knew that she was very nervous.

Her hands were shaking a little bit out of anxiety, but she was really looking forward to seeing Konohamaru again.

_'He's always so nice, and straight forward, and he works hard for what he believes in... He's not some suck-up who only seeks to gain power through status. He says it how it is... kinda like... like Naruto...'_ thought Hanabi.

She remembered how she tried to foolishly seduce Naruto.

_'It may have been only one time, and only to spite my sister... But I have to admit, I'm jealous of my sister, now that she has Naruto...'_ thought Hanabi with a blush.

It was strange how similar Konohamaru and Naruto were.

Certainly they were both different on many levels, but they both worked hard and did what was right.

_'Is it really that simple? I like Konohamaru because he's a hard worker that does the right thing?'_ thought Hanabi.

She knew that wasn't why she liked him so much, it was also the little things.

How his favorite soda was the same as hers, and how he knew so much about the street that she didn't, and how he too led a pressured life under a clan's watch.

_'We have a lot in common... that's partly why I enjoy spending time with him. After school, during missions, and now at work...'_ thought Hanabi.

Of course, she assumed that she wouldn't be able to work at the bar anymore since the intervention of the Village.

_'I wonder who's running the Shinobi bar now...'_ thought Hanabi.

As she walked down the street, she took a look at the bars that passed, knowing that the Shinobi bar was coming up.

_'I'll just take a quick look... I won't deviate from my plans...' _thought Hanabi with a blush.

She walked down the stairs to see the usual guard standing in front of the door.

There were several people in line, being let in one at a time.

Hanabi walked past all of them, receiving scathing looks from the people she walked past.

"Hey! Wait your turn like the rest of us!" exclaimed a man.

"Yeah! She's way too young anyway!" exclaimed a woman.

Hanabi got up to the guard, and looked directly at him.

The guard said nothing at first, but after a few moments, he smiled.

"Nice to see you again Ms. Hyuuga." said the guard.

The guard stepped to the side to let her through to the bar.

Everyone behind her in line jaw-dropped.

Hanabi smiled.

"I've told you over and over to call me Hanabi. How many times must I say it?" asked Hanabi.

"At least one more time... Ms. Hyuuga." said the guard with a smirk.

Hanabi walked into the bar, seeing familiar faces all around.

"Hanabi! Where have you been?" exclaimed a voice.

Hanabi looked to see one particularly familiar person sitting at the table in front of her. He sat with three other people, and all of them were clearly ANBU. Which made since, he was an ANBU captain after all.

Hanabi smiled before walking up to the table.

"I've been around, it's nice to see you." said Hanabi happily.

Ibiki reached forward and gave Hanabi a hug.

"You know this girl?" asked one of the ANBU.

Ibiki released Hanabi.

"Yeah. She's been bartending here for a while now. She's a lovely young girl." said Ibiki.

"You just call me that to embarrass me..." muttered Hanabi.

"Yes I do. But enough about that, how have you been? I hear you found yourself a boy." said Ibiki.

Hanabi put her hands over her mouth.

"W-who told you that? Has someone been spreading rumors?" asked Hanabi worriedly.

"Yes. I have." said Ibiki.

Hanabi's jaw dropped.

"I was there Hanabi, I saw what happened between you two." said Ibiki.

Hanabi gasped.

"Huh? Somethin' happened? Sounds juicy to me." said the ANBU next to Ibiki.

Hanabi looked at him in disbelief, but Ibiki only smirked in return.

"Oh yes. It's very juicy indeed." said Ibiki with a smile.

"Hehe. Once Anko finds out you have a secret she doesn't know, she won't stop until she knows it!" chuckled another ANBU.

Hanabi looked horrified at this point, but Ibiki only laughed at her state.

"Relax my little bundle of fireworks, I won't tell anyone... But only if you keep me in the loop about everything that is going on with you." said Ibiki.

Hanabi thought for a moment that she had not understood what he had just said.

But after a few seconds, she smiled.

"So... you just want me to... keep in touch?" asked Hanabi.

"Hehe. Yeah that's about it. If you have any problems with... ruffian boyfriends or creeps... You know you can always send them to Uncle Ibiki." said Ibiki with a smile.

Hanabi smiled back and jumped into a hug with him.

"Thank you... Uncle." said Hanabi happily.

First Jiraiya, then her father a little, then Iruka, and now Ibiki?

She was getting all sorts of family interaction that she wasn't used to.

"I'll see you later, okay?" said Hanabi as she turned to leave.

"Busy huh? All right, I won't keep you." said Ibiki.

Before she left, she turned and took a glance at the bar, realizing that there wasn't anyone behind the counter.

"Ibiki... Who's running the bar?" asked Hanabi.

"Call me Ojisan, Hanabi... And _I'm_ the one that's going to be running the bar from now on." said Ibiki.

Hanabi blinked.

"You? But your the head interrogator, and one of the ANBU captains! How could you possibly have time?" asked Hanabi.

"Truth be told, I only manage the ANBU. I'm only really needed once a month for routine organization and placement, or if there is a war that breaches our borders here in Konoha." said Ibiki.

"And of being the head Interrogator?" asked Hanabi.

"I'm only used every so often in that sense. And it usually only takes a few hours." said Ibiki.

Hanabi looked at him worriedly, showing her concern for him.

"Hehe, don't worry. I didn't take this job just to cover for you. Truthfully, I've always wanted to be a casual bartender. Something about the atmosphere, the people, and the drinks... I just enjoy the idea of it I guess." said Ibiki.

Hanabi smiled, but suddenly remembered what she was trying to do earlier.

"I've got to go. I'll see you later... Ojisan." said Hanabi as she ran out of the bar.

"..."

After Hanabi left, Ibiki noticed that his ANBU subordinates were all smirking at him.

"What?" asked Ibiki.

"The best Interrogator who ever lived? Hehe, you're such a softy_,_ _Ojisan_." taunted one of the ANBU.

The said ANBU received a swift bonk of the head.

"Nnn! Son of a bitch!" muttered the ANBU under his breathe as he rubbed his head in pain.

_'I'm still top dog...'_ thought Ibiki.

* * *

Jiraiya and Tsunade were heading towards the Shinobi Apartment complex #4 as fast as they could, hoping to catch Tyler there.

"If they attack, do you think our emergency forces will be enough to hold them back?" asked Jiraiya.

"They would be able to hold them back, but that would be it. Lives would be lost just trying to hold them. Without our elite fighters, we are fish out of water." said Tsunade.

Jiraiya's expression turned stern, he didn't like how this was turning out.

As they jumped across the rooftops, he looked down on the streets filled with people.

When the enemy attacked, all of their lives would be in danger.

As he thought about this, he noticed one particular girl walking out of a bar.

"Hanabi!" muttered Jiraiya.

"Eh? You say something?" asked Tsunade.

"Uh, I think we should split up just in case. You go to the complex, and I'll check with Ibiki." said Jiraiya.

"That's a good idea. If you can't find anything out or otherwise, get back with me immediately." said Tsunade.

"Huh? What's that? You want me to _get with you_?" asked Jiraiya pervertedly.

"Tha- You know what I meant!" protested Tsunade.

Jiraiya smirked and jumped down to the streets, watching Tsunade continue to the apartment complexes.

"Jiraiya-kyou?" asked a voice in surprise.

Jiraiya turned and smiled at the young Hyuuga.

"Hanabi. I thought my clone just dropped you off at your home. What are you doing out in a bar already?" asked Jiraiya suspiciously.

"It's not what you think. I was just... checking to see who was running the bar now..." said Hanabi nervously.

_'She's hiding something...'_ thought Jiraiya.

"Well now that you've done that, what are you doing now?" asked Jiraiya.

Hanabi faulted for a moment, she wasn't expecting him to ask her that.

"Oh I um, I w-was just... Um..." stuttered Hanabi in embarrassment.

Jiraiya watched her nervous demeanor, then saw her cheeks turn red.

"OH! HaHaaaa! You're going to see a _boy_ aren't you?" asked Jiraiya with a grin.

Hanabi blushed deeper and started blathering out near-incoherent denials.

Jiraiya held up his hand, silencing her.

"Now now Hanabi, don't try to lie to me. I know very well you're either going to see a boy, or you're thinking about seeing a boy." said Jiraiya.

Hanabi blushed at and looked at her feet, too embarrassed to look at his grinning face.

"Not only that, but I also know exactly who that boy is." said Jiraiya.

Hanabi gasped and looked up at Jiraiya, hoping he was lying.

"Now now relax, I'm not going to tell anyone. My guess is that too many people know about this already, and you don't want your father to find out who it is." said Jiraiya.

Hanabi's expression turned sad, panging Jiraiya's heart with a bit of guilt.

"I don't really like your father, and I know he doesn't really like me. He only respects my title." said Jiraiya.

Hanabi nodded, knowing her father was a very serious person.

"But your father aside... I approve of this boy. After all, he's a pupil of my pupil." said Jiraiya.

Hanabi smiled.

_'Konohamaru-kun really looks up to Naruto-kun...'_ thought Hanabi.

Seeing that Hanabi was smiling, it made him feel better.

"Heh. Alright kiddo, I'll leave you alone about that for now, but... How are you doing with... _that_?" asked Jiraiya.

"I'm... really feeling the need for it right now... But I've been dry for about 23 hours..." said Hanabi quietly.

"Well, that's a start. Just keep making that period of time larger and larger, and you'll eventually be off the stuff." said Jiraiya.

Hanabi nodded.

There was a silence for a few moments, Jiraiya could feel the tension building within the little Hyuuga.

"(Sigh) Here." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya pulled out an unmarked bottle and threw it to Hanabi.

She caught it and looked at it for a moment before she looked up at Jiraiya.

"What is it?" asked Hanabi.

"Tea..." said Jiraiya with a wink.

Hanabi smiled, and immediately uncorked it, taking a deep swig.

"Oh Gawd..." sighed Hanabi in relief.

"It seems like you were doing pretty bad. But remember, if you are going to drink, do it sparingly, and not so often." said Jiraiya.

Hanabi smiled and hugged Jiraiya.

Jiraiya smiled warmly and rubbed the top of her head.

"Alright kiddo, I'll let you get going." said Jiraiya.

Hanabi smiled then nodded, taking off in the direction of the high-line residential area.

_'I'm growing soft...' _thought Jiraiya.

Jiraiya turned and faced the Shinobi bar.

_'Well, I might as well talk to Ibiki while I'm here.'_ thought Jiraiya.

* * *

Tsunade hurried to the apartment complex, trying to make good time.

_'ANBU constantly change shifts in residential areas... I have to hurry so that I get there before the shift happens...'_ thought Tsunade.

As she jumped along the building she noticed a figure jump up at her from the crowded street.

She acted defensively at first by jumping away from the figure. But she quickly recognized who it was. Mostly because of his skin color.

"Kisame..." said Tsunade.

Tsunade continued jumping towards the apartments, Kisame alongside her.

"Lady Tsunade, I was wondering if you knew where Itachi was." said Kisame.

Tsunade blinked as she jumped, surprised by this.

"You don't know where Itachi is? Isn't he your partner in Akatsuki?" asked Tsunade.

"Well, yes, but that doesn't mean I track him 24/7." said Kisame.

"Fair enough. I sent Itachi to lead a mission to the Land of Snow to investigate their... existence." said Tsunade.

"...And I can assume that Sasuke took off after them then?" asked Kisame.

Tsunade stiffened. She almost completely forgot about Sasuke.

"That is what we are assuming at this point. I received a letter from Kakashi, but it didn't say anything about Sasuke. I sent a letter in return, warning them that Sasuke might be near, and that they should return immediately." said Tsunade.

"Hm. Why should they return? Something come up?" asked Kisame.

"Well, there is an issue with a... (ahem) Fox." said Tsunade.

"Ah, Naruto?" asked Kisame.

"Sort of..." muttered Tsunade.

"Hm?" asked Kisame.

"It's nothing. Look I'm really busy right now, so I'll have to talk to you later." said Tsunade.

Kisame nodded and dropped into the street, surprisingly blending in.

Tsunade wondered about the Akatsuki members on their side. Some of the time they were awfully suspicious.

Before she thought very much about it, she made it to the complex.

She jumped up onto the roof of the building, looking up into the trees that towered a story over the complexes around the area. The complexes were designed for Konoha ninja, but the trees that shaded the complexes made it seem like they were hiding the buildings from the rest of the village.

Tsunade made a swift right chop motion with her arm, then whistled.

Immediately, an ANBU member jumped down from the leaves above, landing in a kneeling position in front of her.

Tsunade recognized the ANBU operative immediately.

"Komachi, you are the leader of this sector?" asked Tsunade.

"Hai." said Komachi.

"Where are Towa and Yugao?" asked Tsunade.

"They are both guarding... Level 1." said Komachi.

Tsunade knew what area she was referring to.

"Good. It helps me be at ease knowing that two of the best ANBU are guarding him... But Komachi, I have a question for one of your operatives." said Tsunade.

Komachi held her hand over her head, and made a clock-wise circular motion.

20 ANBU appeared in a perfect line in front of Tsunade, ten to the left of Komachi, and ten to the right.

"Thank you Komachi." said Tsunade.

Tsunade looked among the operatives.

There was a problem with identifying one person among the ANBU, and that problem was simple.

They all wore masks.

Taking off an ANBU's mask would reveal their identity to whomever might be watching. The ANBU should never be able to be targeted individually. That is why they all wore masks.

_'I should be able to identify him without taking off their masks.'_ thought Tsunade.

"Alright, if you were born in Konoha, stay standing, otherwise, kneel." said Tsunade.

8 ANBU kneeled, the rest stood.

"Those that are standing, return to your posts." said Tsunade.

The standing ANBU disappeared, leaving only 8 ANBU left.

"If your first name does not start with a T, go back to your posts." said Tsunade.

None of them moved.

_'Damn, what are the odds?'_ thought Tsunade.

"Those who have worked as my secretary, stay where you are. Otherwise leave." said Tsunade.

Only one ANBU left the line.

_'...I should really look into getting a permanent secretary...'_ thought Tsunade.

"If your significant other's first name doesn't start with an A, go back to your post." said Tsunade.

The three remaining ANBU moved in front of Komachi, making a small line of three operatives.

_'All but three left. __Getting close now...'_ thought Tsunade.

"If you aren't in the Bingo book, return to your posts." said Tsunade.

None of them moved.

Tsunade tensed a bit. These last operatives were all skilled enough to be in the Bingo book.

She tried remembering other characteristics about Tyler so that she could pick him out of the last three ANBU. She remembered Tyler being severely ill... in the head.

"If you do not have any form of mental illness, go back to your post." said Tsunade.

None of them moved.

(O.O)

Tsunade pointed to the farthest left operative.

"What is your mental illness?" asked Tsunade.

"PTSD." said the operative plainly.

Tsunade nodded. It was relatively common for a seasoned operative to have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Tsunade pointed towards the middle operative.

"You?" asked Tsunade.

"Anuptaphobia." said the operative.

_'Sounds painful...'_ thought Tsunade.

Tsunade pointed to the last operative.

_'He must be Tyler.'_ thought Tsunade.

"What is your mental illness?" asked Tsunade.

"Speech Impediment... Un." said the operative.

Tsunade almost fell over backwards in reaction.

She lunged forward and took off the operative's mask, revealing Deidara.

"Wha-You're name doesn't start with a T! And why are you dressed like an ANBU?" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Tch. I don't exactly have a day job so... Un." said Deidara.

Tsunade reached over, and took off the middle ANBU's mask, revealing Kisame.

"Wha- You're name starts with a K! ...And I just spoke to you before!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Yes well... No you didn't." said Kisame.

"What?" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Moo." said Kisame.

Kisame reached over and grabbed Deidara, both of them disappearing in a poof of smoke.

"..."

Tsunade slapped her hand over her face.

She didn't have time to be dealing with any of this crap.

_'One left...'_ thought Tsunade.

Tsunade saw that the man was wearing gloves.

"Hold out your hands." said Tsunade.

The man held out both of his hands palm-down.

Tsunade grabbed his right hand, and took off the glove.

Instead of a Hitai-ate like she was expecting, there was only skin.

It was tanned and covered in what looked like burn marks.

_'It's not Tyler...'_ thought Tsunade.

"Return to your post." said Tsunade.

The man disappeared, the only operative remaining was the only one who was not interrogated.

"Is there something wrong Tsunade?" asked Komachi.

"To be honest, I'm looking for someone." said Tsunade.

"Give me a name." said Komachi.

"..."

"Tairaa Satou." said Tsunade.

Komachi tensed a small amount.

"What? Do you recognize the name?" asked Tsunade.

"Recognize it? I couldn't go a few seconds without that man blurting random crap into my ear! I ignored it at first, but I eventually got curious and started listening... Fuck! I've never been more confused in all my life! At first I thought he was telling me a story, but then I realized that he was asking me a really detailed rhetorical question, but then I maybe thought he was insulting me, but he was actually giving me advice, and then when I thought he was speaking, it turned out he wasn't, and that I was!" exclaimed Komachi quickly.

She lost her breath and started panting slightly when she had finished talking.

"What?" asked Tsunade in confusion.

"Exactly!" exclaimed Komachi.

Tsunade shook her head.

"Just never mind that for now, where is Tyler now?" asked Tsunade.

"Well I finally got sick of him, and I had him switch to another sector entirely." said Komachi.

"Which one?" asked Tsunade.

"..."

"...Level One." said Komachi.

Tsunade's eyes widened.

"I've got to go!" exclaimed Tsunade.

Tsunade turned on the spot, and rushed towards the warehouse near the Hokage monument.

Based on her suspicions, Level one was the last possible place she wanted him to be.

* * *

It had been only a few hours.

Gai and Lee never seemed to slow down or change pace. Everyone else tried to keep up as best as they could, but eventually they would have to slow up.

"Come on now! I know it's hot, but that's no excuse for not showing some exuberance in your step!" said Gai.

"The exuberance in my step left several hours ago! It's hot, we're tired, and you need to slow down at least a little bit!" exclaimed Sakura.

"Fine then. Come on Lee, let's slow down to Sai and Gaara's pace. It's brisk, but not as fast as we were going." said Gai.

"Okay Gai-sensei." said Lee.

Gai and Lee slowed down a little bit, allowing the team a sort of rest while they continued to travel. Gai and Lee took the front. Sai and Gaara took second position. Sakura and Ino took third position. Akamaru, Kiba, and Houkou took the rear.

Sakura and Ino were flushed red in the face. It was hot out, and they were still traveling rather quickly, so it was no surprise.

"Are you two doing alright?" asked Gaara.

Sakura didn't know what it was, but when Gaara talked to her, it creeped her out every time. Maybe it was the black around his eyes. Maybe it was his unmoving emotionless expression. Maybe it was his gruff tone of voice. She didn't know, maybe it was a combination of the three.

"Yes, we are doing fine. It's just too hot out." said Sakura.

Ino nodded in agreement.

"Hm. I don't notice any particular heat." said Gaara.

_'I do...' _thought Houkou with a blush.

"Gaara, do you not understand? You are from a desert climate, so you are used to hot and arid temperatures. We are not." said Sai.

"Hm. I see." said Gaara.

"..."

It went quiet for a few minutes after that. Nothing was really happening aside from the actual traveling. At least nothing that anyone else noticed.

Kiba rode on Akamaru, and Houkou did as well. She held onto Kiba from behind, her arms wrapped tightly around him. Houkou kept glaring at Kiba in discontent. It was obvious that she wasn't happy with him.

"I can't believe you didn't stand up for me!" whispered Houkou irritably.

Houkou had managed to get dressed while in Kiba's tow, but she was still miffed about it.

"What was I supposed to do? When the team leader gives a command, I have to follow it." whispered Kiba.

"You could have at least tried arguing with her for a little bit!" whispered Houkou with a frown.

"Arguing with the team leader against a direct order is... frowned upon." said Kiba.

"I know that! I have more leadership skills than you do in your little finger! What do you think I do as the Raikage?" exclaimed Houkou quietly.

"I know you know! I was just saying... I am a Shinobi. I follow orders. It's that simple. Besides, I had to get dressed on the run as well." said Kiba quietly.

"I... suppose you did... I'm sorry Kiba, it's just that I was hoping that you would have tried to defend me." whispered Houkou sadly.

"(Sigh) Oh Houkou... I'll always defend you. It really hurt me to see you that way, knowing I couldn't really help in the way that I wanted to." whispered Kiba.

"I know... It's alright. I didn't mean to get snippy, I was just irritated from the situation... But I understand." whispered Houkou.

Kiba felt her hands move on his chest. They were squirming around a bit in her anxiousness. Kiba smiled and held her hands in his, causing her to jump slightly.

"I never thought I'd fall for a girl so fast. When I'm with you, knowing that you're mine, you make me so very happy." said Kiba.

Houkou hugged him tighter, he could feel her face rub against his back.

"Oh Kiba... I never thought I'd ever end up with anyone! But here I am... with you... knowing that you feel the same way that I do..." whispered Houkou emotionally.

Kiba smiled warmly, enjoying her embrace.

"I felt the same... I was never really all that good at socializing with the ladies. I thought that I would simply end up being with whomever my clan fixed me with." said Kiba.

"Your clan can... fix you with a date?" asked Houkou incredulously.

"Hehe... Well... Something like that. I would probably call it forced marriage at best." said Kiba.

"Th-they can force you to get married?" exclaimed Houkou.

"Of course. Every clan seeks power and prosperity. If they marry one of their own, with one of another clan, they would be getting both at the same time. They would be tying peace with that clan, and earning their trust. They can use that trust for favors, or even military support." said Kiba.

Kiba couldn't see her face, but he could tell she was suddenly uneasy.

"So your clan can force you to get married... even right now?" asked Houkou quietly.

"Well they would have to wait until I get back to the village... but yeah. I am heir to my clan. Marrying the heir off to another clan is the greatest show of honor and trust the Inuzuka clan can offer. If my clan decided that they wanted to marry me off, they could." said Kiba.

Houkou went very quiet, but Kiba could sense something was wrong.

"Houkou, are you alright?" asked Kiba.

A few minutes went by, and the only thing he could get from her were uneven breathes. Suddenly Kiba heard noise that he recognized. All of the memories related to the noise were all sad. She was crying.

"Houkou, what's wrong?" asked Kiba in concern.

She didn't reply, but continued to cry as quietly as possible.

"Houkou please! If something is wrong, you have to let me know." said Kiba.

"I-I... You... married... ...someone else..." whispered Houkou between breaths.

"Oh... Oh! Houkou. Relax, it's okay. They wouldn't marry me off now." said Kiba.

"Th-they... wouldn't?" sniffled Houkou.

"No, they wouldn't. My mother is head of the clan. She knows I'm with you, so she wouldn't let it happen." said Kiba.

"Are... are you sure?" sniffled Houkou as she wiped tears from her face.

"Yeah. Ma wouldn't do that to me." said Kiba.

"Why don't... Um... Kiba?" asked Houkou quietly.

Kiba could tell she was still upset, but also conflicted.

"...Yeah?" asked Kiba.

"Why don't you... Can you give up your title as heir?" asked Houkou quickly.

Kiba said nothing for a moment or two, leaving Houkou to dread the suspense.

"My sister Hana turned down the title, so I took it instead. It is a great honor to be the heir to the clan. Besides, these are troubled times. If I suddenly gave up my title, it would make my clan seem uncoordinated. Weakness is not something we can show nowadays. The best thing I can do for my clan, is to just bear with it." said Kiba.

Houkou said nothing, but hugged Kiba tighter.

"I'm sorry. I can tell that being the heir means a lot to you, and that it is important... But I... I just can't stand the thought of you being taken away from me." said Houkou quietly.

It was quiet for a few moments. The sounds of rushing wind, their team's footsteps, and rustling leaves seemed awkward now.

Houkou felt bad that she had even asked Kiba such a thing. She felt so selfish, but she didn't want to lose him.

"Houkou. It's alright. I understand. I would be very upset if I was torn away from you..." said Kiba quietly.

"..."

There was a long silence, and a few minutes passed by. Neither of them said anything, but Kiba could have sworn she she tried talking several times. Every time he thought she was going to speak up, she would raise her head, she would pause, and then she would rest her head against his back again.

"It's alright... really." assured Kiba.

"I... I know. I just wish there was a way to be sure that we won't be forcefully separated..." whispered Houkou sadly.

"It's something you shouldn't have to worry about. Trust me. My mother wouldn't set me up for marriage if she already knew that we were together." said Kiba.

"Yeah... I trust your mom. We've spent a lot of time talking, and I like her a lot." said Houkou with a faint smile.

_'You're one of the few who likes her at all...'_ thought Kiba.

"I'm glad you do." said Kiba with a smile.

Houkou managed a small smile, and snuggled up against him.

"Hey, are you two okay?" asked Gaara.

They hadn't even noticed that Gaara was jumping right next to them.

_'He must have backed up while we were talking.' _thought Houkou.

"Yeah. We're fine. Why?" asked Houkou nonchalantly.

"Your eyes are puffy and watery, and your voice is cracking. Have you been crying? Are you upset?" asked Gaara.

"N-no! (Ahem) I mean... No. I'm fine, really." said Houkou.

Gaara just looked at her, expressionless. Although he was silent, they could tell he didn't believe her.

"We're fine now. Thanks for your concern." said Kiba.

Gaara blinked, and said nothing for a few moments.

"...I'm glad my concern was appreciated." said Gaara.

Gaara returned to the front of the pack with Gai and Lee. On the way, Gaara passed Ino and Sakura, causing Ino to flinch.

Sakura noticed immediately, and politely waited until Gaara was back up next to Sai before she spoke.

"Ino? What's the matter with you?" asked Sakura.

"W-what do you mean?" asked Ino nonchalantly.

"Don't give me that. Every time Gaara gets even remotely close to you, you flinch or you move away." said Sakura.

"I-I do not!" protested Ino.

Sakura looked just over Ino's shoulder.

"Gaara? What are you doing behind Ino?" asked Sakura.

Ino's face paled, and she quickly spun herself around in mid-jump.

There was no one there. Ino blinked in surprise and turned back around to see Sakura with a skeptical expression.

"(Sigh) Alright fine, he really creeps me out." said Ino.

"He creeps you out? How so?" asked Sakura.

She easily had an idea how she was creeped out, but still felt the need to ask.

"He has insomnia-induced raccoon eyes. He never has any expression on his face. When he talks, he voice is so gritty, that it sounds like his vocal chords are made out of sandpaper. Despite the fact he lives in the desert, he has pale skin, and flame red hair. His eyes are dull and seem almost lifeless." rambled Ino quickly.

Sakura blinked in surprise.

"Jeez Ino, did you leave anything out?" asked Sakura.

"He used to be a crazy serial killer. He burned a love tattoo on his forehead to remind himself that he could never love, and that he would need to kill to prove his existence. His jutsu of choice crushes his opponents into black goo. Whenever he moves his sand, I fear for my life!" exclaimed Ino quickly.

"Ino! Gaara isn't like that anymore! He's our friend!" exclaimed Sakura.

"I... I know, but I just feel weird around him." said Ino.

"He's our comrade. He's the Kazekage. The exalted wind shadow. We can trust him." assured Sakura.

"I know that! I trust him! It's just that he creeps me out. Like how you get creeped out by bugs." said Ino.

"...Well, I guess that's not so bad. Just be sure to give him the respect he deserves. Okay?" asked Sakura.

"...Okay. I can do that." said Ino.

Suddenly Ino froze. All she could see were light green eyes staring back at her own.

"You're right Sai. She does have the same color of eyes as me." said Gaara.

Ino's expression turned to horrified as her eyes widened to maximum size.

"Eeeeek!" shrieked Ino.

* * *

They still continued to jump through the trees, Naruto leading the pack without a single complaint from anyone.

The only ones who felt worried were Kakashi and Yamato. Everyone else just let it slip, at least until later.

Yamato: (Kakashi.)

Kakashi: (What is it?)

Yamato: (Have you figured out what happened earlier?)

Kakashi looked up to the front, making sure Naruto was still occupied with carrying Hinata.

Once he was sure Naruto wasn't looking, he turned back to Yamato.

Kakashi: (This is what I have assumed. An explosion originated from or near Hinata. Hinata fell. Naruto caught Hinata. Hinata is still unconscious from the blast.)

Yamato: (If that's what happened, why isn't Naruto talking about it?)

Kakashi: (I don't think what I suggested is precisely what happened. There is more to it than what I know.)

Yamato: (Then he is trying to hide whatever that is?)

Kakashi: (Well he _is_ avoiding communication with us.)

Neji: (Perhaps he fears that we will not understand.)

Kakashi: (Understand what?)

Anko: (Yeah, understand what?)

Neji: (How long have you been listening?)

Anko: (Probably just as long as you.)

Kakashi: (Neji, just tell us why Naruto thinks we will not understand.)

Anko stuck her tongue out at Neji.

Neji paused for a moment to spare Anko a frown before he continued.

Neji: (I don't know anything specifically, I just think that he is assuming we won't understand. There are a lot of things he has experienced that we have not.)

As all this signing went on, Sasuke watched impatiently from the rear of the pack.

_'It's obvious they're doing something... something conspicuous.'_ thought Sasuke.

Kakashi moved his hands, then Yamato moved his hands.

Anko moved her hands, then Neji moved his hands.

Neji moved his hands again, and Anko flipped him off.

"..."

_'They have a silent form of communication... I should have seen this coming from the start.'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke continued watching, trying to follow the conversation although he had no clue how the language worked.

Neji: (So what you're saying... Is that Naruto is hiding something from us?)

Kakashi: (I believe so.)

Anko: (Then why don't we just ask him about it? You know, pry and pry until he tells us the truth.)

Kakashi: (Heh, yeah right. You first.)

Anko: (Why are you so hesitant?)

Kakashi: (He smashed me against a tree for touching Hinata. He nearly broke Sasuke's hand, then almost disintegrated him. Anko, he punched you in the stomach for joking around. As far as I'm concerned, he is emotionally unstable. So if you want to go and talk to him about something he obviously doesn't want to talk about, be my guest.)

Everyone realized that Kakashi was probably right. These last few days around Naruto were very strange.

_'Naruto has been quite... different recently. He has even grown a tail...'_ thought Neji.

Neji was actually grateful that he covered it up. Although it did seem strange to see Naruto always wearing a hat. His bright yellow hair was one of the things that distinguished Naruto from everybody else. To see it covered up seemed... odd.

As the group thought about Naruto, they were caught off guard by a sudden realization.

They were out of trees.

And for whatever reason, they were out of ground as well.

The forest had suddenly ended, on the edge of a cliff.

Naruto had stopped on the final branch, and turned to ask Kakashi where they should go next. But when he turned, everyone just jumped past him over the edge of the cliff.

_'I guess this is the right way to go...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto looked down at Hinata to see that she was still sleeping soundly in his arms.

_'Sorry Hinata, but you may feel a slight falling sensation.'_ thought Naruto.

As everyone else fell, they tried to pack into groups, grabbing onto each other out of instinct.

The direction of their final jump ended up determining who they were stuck with in mid-air.

Yamato with Sasuke.

Neji with TenTen.

Kakashi with Anko.

Naruto with Hinata.

As they fell, they braced themselves for impact.

* * *

**END OF CHAPTER**


	40. The Land of Waves

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 40:**_

_**The Land of Waves:**_

As they fell from the top of the cliff, their minds were rushed with adrenaline. They had to think quickly, but they could only survive if they partnered with one another.

Anko was with Kakashi. It ended up being that way based on the direction of everyone's last jump.

Anko immediately got near Kakashi and hugged him for dear life. This wasn't something Kakashi wanted at the time. She was restricting his hands, preventing him from using any jutsu.

"Anko! Let go! Hurry!" shouted Kakashi.

Anko wasn't listening, she was blocking everything out. Secretly, she was deathly afraid of heights like these. Understandable for a snake-user that likes to sneak along the ground and trees.

Kakashi didn't have anything to save them from the fall, except one very powerful water jutsu. But because of Anko holding onto him, he now didn't have enough time to perform the hand signs.

"Anko! ANKO!" shouted Kakashi.

Anko snapped out of it to look at Kakashi for but a moment.

"Summon something!" shouted Kakashi.

Anko blinked in realization.

"Anything! Hurry!" shouted Kakashi.

Anko pulled up her sleeves, bit her right thumb, and ran it along her left arm. The blood quickly formed into a summoning tattoo.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" shouted Anko.

Anko held her hand down and released her chakra. In an explosion of smoke, a large white snake appeared in the air.

"Swallow us! Hurry!" shouted Anko.

The snake didn't wait another second. It lunged out and swallowed Kakashi and Anko in one bite.

Yamato was with Sasuke.

Sasuke looked over to Yamato.

Yamato nodded and positioned himself behind Sasuke, putting his arms over Sasuke's shoulders.

Sasuke quickly activated his curse mark to second stage, the usual pain accompanying it.

Sasuke made sure Yamato was secure before spreading his wings. With the rushing wind already flowing under his wings, it was easy for him to take to the sky. All he had to do was wait for a safe opportunity to land.

Neji was with TenTen.

Neji looked over at TenTen.

Neither of them had to say a word.

TenTen got behind Neji, and put her arms around his torso. Then, she wrapped her legs around his waist. She made sure she was holding on tightly, then squished her body tightly against Neji's back. She was really bracing herself, she knew what Neji was going to do.

As soon as Neji felt her tightly gripping on, he bent over slightly, and out his arms in the Divination stance.

Neji concentrated chakra in his Tenketsu, getting ready to stream it outward.

_'Here we go!'_thought TenTen.

"Kaiten!" shouted Neji.

Neji suddenly turned into a spinning chakra orb.

The G's seemed amazingly brutal to TenTen, but Neji was used to it.

The spinning slowed their descent until they were only slowly moving downward.

He waited until he felt his chakra sweep the ground.

He released the jutsu, and dropped safely to the ground, landing gracefully onto his feet.

"There, that wasn't so bad." said Neji.

TenTen let go of him, and immediately fell over. She involuntarily rolled across the ground over and over. She was really dizzy from all the spinning.

Neji chuckled a bit, until he realized that she was rolling toward the edge of another cliff.

Neji dashed over to her, and stopped her from rolling.

He sat her up from the ground, but her eyes were still spiraling.

Knowing she was alright, he checked his surroundings.

He wondered how there could have been another cliff after the large one they just fell from, but once he got an eyeful of the landscape, he realized that TenTen didn't almost roll off a cliff.

"This isn't a cliff at all... This is a roof..." muttered Neji.

Naruto was with Hinata.

_'This is a fairly high drop...'_ thought Naruto.

He held onto Hinata a bit tighter, and simply braced himself for impact with the ground.

The ground was coming on fast, but he didn't really have to think much about it.

He landed on his feet, making a small crater around him with a loud boom.

He stepped out of the crater, noticing he had landed in a street.

There were already people staring at him. He did essentially fall from the sky after all.

He noticed the street was cobblestone, and that the houses were quite simple, but were thoroughly weather-proofed.

He also noticed that there were a lot of buildings crammed together in seemingly never ending rows.

Half the town itself was on a hillside. The hill started from where the cliff ended, and went down to the ocean. From there, the other half of the town appeared to be floating on the water using a series of docks and massive buoy systems. From the ends of the docks, there was such a large amount of boats sailing in and out of the harbor that it was actually staggering.

Once he noticed the boats, it was easy for him to notice the ocean.

_'Wow. That's a lot of water...'_ thought Naruto.

After staring at the ocean for a few seconds, he tried to find a path to it.

He noticed that 90% of the streets were running horizontally along the hill. The only few ones that ran vertically down the hill, started at the top, and went all of the way to the docks.

From what he could tell, those streets were the biggest, and the busiest.

_'Well, I guess this is it. The Land of Waves... Sure seems prosperous.'_ thought Naruto.

He looked down at Hinata, but just as he did, Hinata shifted. She moved her face from his chest, to rest on his shoulder. She snuggled against him, and sighed softly.

Naruto blushed slightly, and smiled warmly.

_'The last time I was here, I only stayed on the outskirts of the town... I've never actually seen the full town itself.'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto remembered fighting Hoku and Zabuza, and fighting to win the Land of Waves its only bridge. He remembered that by allowing the bridge to be finally built, the town was able to get food and supplies from where it needed it. Beforehand, he was told that they didn't even have a harbor.

He looked back up at the cliff, noticing that to his right, the cliff ended where the ocean began, making traveling from that direction impossible. He looked straight up the cliff. Climbing down the cliff would be much too dangerous, so he could understand why nobody did it. He followed the cliff to the left to see that it also stopped where the ocean began. The ocean jutted inland and virtually cut off the Land of Waves from the rest of the country. The Land of Waves was trapped between the cliff and the ocean.

But, Naruto saw something he recognized.

There was a bridge going from one side of the gulf, to the other, connecting the Land of Waves with the rest of the country.

_'That's what I remember fighting for.'_ thought Naruto proudly.

He remembered that the last time they traveled here, they came from that direction. For some reason, they had arrived from a completely different way this time.

Content with his reminiscing for now, Naruto decided that he should probably get to finding his team.

"What do you think Hinata? Should we get going?" asked Naruto with a smile.

Hinata responded by snuggling into him again, making a quiet but cute sigh.

_'Hinata...'_thought Naruto.

He began walking down the street, not knowing where he should look for the rest of his team first.

It was hard to concentrate with so many people walking behind him.

The people who had seen his landing, were now apparently following him.

They were being very blatant about it, they didn't even try to make themselves inconspicuous.

He could hear them whispering about him.

He knew that if he took off his hat to let his fox ears hear properly, he could actually make out what they were saying. But he also knew that by taking his hat off, he would be showing them his ears. And that would only make matters worse.

As he walked along the streets, more people saw other people following him, and decided to follow as well, just to see what was going on.

By the time he reached the town square, he already had a vast number of people crowding the street behind him.

He looked ahead of him, and noticed another large group of people.

But what they were crowded around was much bigger than himself.

It was a giant white snake.

It took up half the square, and the villagers were trying to drive it away.

They did keep their distance. It seemed as though they were all very scared of it.

Naruto walked up to the crowd that encircled the snake, and began made his way to the front.

On his way through, he could hear the people talking.

"Yeah! I know! It's so fucking huge!" exclaimed a man.

"I heard it fell from the sky!" said another.

"I wonder why it's white? Does that mean it's poisonous?" asked another.

He made it past everyone, and could now see how big the snake really was.

Before he could go any further, a man quickly grabbed onto his shoulder, and held him back.

"Wait boy! The last man who got any closer to that thing than you are, was eaten alive!" exclaimed the man.

Naruto shrugged off the man's hand.

"I'll take my chances." said Naruto.

Naruto walked past everyone, and right up to it.

"Oh my God look at that guy!" exclaimed a woman.

If everyone's attention wasn't to the snake before, it was now.

Naruto ignored her, and looked up into the snake's face.

A silence had quickly fallen onto the crowd, most of them holding their breath.

"Anko!" called Naruto.

The crowd gasped in surprise, expecting the beast to eat the boy who had yelled at it.

But instead, the snake positioned his head in front of Naruto, and made a gross hacking sound.

("Aaahck!")

The snake regurgitated out Anko, who landed on her feet right in front of Naruto.

The crowd was in complete shock. The snake had spit someone out. Someone who was unbelievably alive.

Naruto was surprised that she wasn't all slimy, but instead she appeared to be dry.

"Ah. I see we made it." said Anko.

Naruto nodded.

Anko gave Naruto and Hinata a sparing glance, but was ignoring them for a moment. She was expecting Kakashi to respond to her statement, but he didn't.

"Kakashi? Kakashi!" exclaimed Anko.

She looked around the square, and Kakashi wasn't anywhere to be found.

"Naruto! Have you seen Kakashi?" asked Anko in worry.

"No. I thought he was with you." said Naruto, shifting Hinata in his arms.

Anko had a realization, and turned toward the snake.

"Slyphis! Spit out Kakashi! Now!" yelled Anko.

The crowd had never seen anything like this. Not only did the snake spit up someone alive, but now that person was yelling at it.

The snake paused for a moment, as though thinking about something.

Suddenly its eyes widened and it quickly spit out Kakashi.

("BlaHaahck!")

He landed on his side and rolled once, and slowly got up, brushing himself off.

"Man, that was weird. Thanks for the save Anko." said Kakashi.

Anko blushed and turned away slightly.

"It was nothing..." muttered Anko.

Suddenly the snake lunged forward, and swallowed Kakashi again.

The movement was so fast, Kakashi didn't even have a chance to react.

"What did it do that for?" exclaimed Naruto in shock.

"AH! OMG! Slyphis! Spit him out!" shouted Anko.

The snake hung its head and averted its eyes, knowing it had done something wrong.

Anko had her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Well?" asked Anko with a warning tone.

The snake nodded quickly and spit out Kakashi again.

As soon as Kakashi hit the ground, he quickly made his way behind Anko.

"God..." breathed Kakashi in short pants.

After making sure Kakashi was fine, Anko turned back to the snake.

"And the other guy..." said Anko impatiently.

The snake knew not to test Anko's patience.

("Aaahck!")

The snake made the disgusting noise, but nothing came out.

"..."

("BlaHaahck!")

Again nothing.

The snake looked at Anko, and she could have sworn that it basically shrugged at her.

"Slyphis! NOW!" shouted Anko.

In desperation, the snake quickly and very awkwardly began making a series of twisting and jerking movements.

("Blaaahehk! Blaeh! BlaehHeeeeeeeaaak! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhk!")

"..."

Anko just stood there awkwardly.

_'This is getting kind of gross.'_ thought Anko.

Finally the snake stopped moving and spit out the poor man, surprisingly not making a gross noise to do it.

The man landed on his back, and was actually coated in a thin slimy substance.

As soon as the man gathered himself, he looked up to see the giant snake looming over him.

It took less than a second for the poor man to react.

"Aaaaaah!" screamed the man.

The man quickly got to his feet and sprinted away.

The snake didn't give chase, but the man was already way off in the distance.

"..."

Now that all of that was over, Naruto decided they should get back to business.

"So, Anko. Kakashi. Now that I've found you two, we should go look for the rest of the team." said Naruto.

"H-Huh? Oh yes. Of-Of course..." said Kakashi shakily.

Anko noticed Kakashi's shaken demeanor and smirked.

"What's this? The mighty Kakashi Hatake is afraid of snakes?" teased Anko with a sense of superiority.

Kakashi quickly composed himself.

"No, not snakes. I'm deathly afraid of being eaten." said Kakashi.

"Oh." said Anko.

_'Quite the contrary for me.'_ thought Anko with a blush.

"Alright Slyphis. Give mommy some sugar before you go home." said Anko sweetly.

The snake slithered up to her and nuzzled its head against her, Kakashi watching it warily as it did so.

"Aw. You make it so hard to send you back... But I have important things I need to do. I can't be selfish. See ya later." said Anko.

The snake nodded and disappeared in a large plume of smoke.

"Wow Anko. I've never seen your sensitive side before." said Kakashi.

Anko blinked in surprise and shuffled her feet awkwardly.

"Yeah well... Don't expect to see it so often..." said Anko bashfully.

Naruto knew that the longer they waited, the farther away their teammates could be getting. He was starting to become impatient.

"Come on you two. We have to find everyone else. We can't leave here until we have our entire team together." said Naruto.

"Then we have to make that top priority. We have to gather the rest of the team as soon as possible." said Kakashi.

"And how do you expect to do that? This isn't just a town, it's a seaside port! This place is enormous!" exclaimed Anko.

"She's right. Finding a single person would be difficult enough, but several people in several directions? This could take a very long time." said Kakashi.

"Well then. We better get started now while we can. said Naruto.

They had been carried around on a crosswind for a few minutes. It wasn't a long time, but it was long enough for Yamato to become impatient.

"Well? Do you see them yet?" asked Yamato.

"No." said Sasuke.

Yamato was still clinging onto Sasuke's back, waiting for him to land.

Sasuke seemed to insist that they use their height to their advantage. He wanted to use their airborne sight to find their missing team members.

Yamato didn't like heights. He wanted to land as soon as possible.

"Well can you hurry it up? I'm going to have a panic attack pretty soon here." said Yamato.

"Just a little longer." said Sasuke.

Sasuke knew that this was a good time to look for Itachi. With an aerial view of the town, it would be much easier to spot his Akatsuki cloak.

"Shouldn't you have found him by now? You have those _amazing_ Sharingan eyes don't you?" complained Yamato.

"I have the Sharingan. Not the Byakugan. The Sharingan isn't intended to be used for searching wide areas." said Sasuke.

"Fine, Whatever. Just hurry up and land. The people are much too small to see individually anyway." said Yamato.

Yamato had a point, but even if he was going to land somewhere, he wouldn't know where to start. The harbor was huge. The best bet would be along the wall of the cliff they jumped from, but by now he knew that his teammates could have traveled a fair distance in search of each other.

_'If Itachi is here... It is most likely that he will want to meet up with the team. If I want to find Itachi, then I need to get the group together.'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke flew over the docks, looking down on the crowded landings. All along the dockside were various stands, most of them run by local merchants.

"Where should I land?" asked Sasuke.

"I don't care, just land! I'm going to throw up!" exclaimed Yamato.

Sasuke quickly retracted his wings and fell to the ground. He landed on the dock, causing everyone near him to jump in surprise, then stare in shock.

"Oh my God what is that thing!" exclaimed a woman.

"It's a demon! Just look at its skin and wings!" exclaimed an old lady.

Yamato fell off of Sasuke's back, and onto his hands and knees.

_'I almost puked back there...'_ thought Yamato.

"Look! That must be its food!" exclaimed a man.

"Quickly! We must slay the beast and save him!" exclaimed another.

Sasuke sighed, allowing the curse to quickly retract back into the seal on his neck.

_'Hurts every time...'_ thought Sasuke.

Sasuke's skin and hair returned to their normal colors, causing his appearance to be socially acceptable.

"The demon... It's... It's a man..." stammered a woman in disbelief.

Sasuke immediately locked eyes with her. She froze in surprise.

"A very annoyed man." said Sasuke.

Sasuke looked back at Yamato, who was still gathering himself.

"Are you alright?" asked Sasuke.

Yamato slowly stood up onto his feet, holding onto his stomach.

"Alright enough to fight if needed." said Yamato.

"Good." said Sasuke.

Sasuke looked back at the woman. His eyes twirled into an infamous design and color.

"You will help us find our friends." said Sasuke.

The woman only stared back at him for a few seconds. Her mouth was agape before she responded.

"I will help you find your friends." said the woman.

The woman spoke with a monotone, it was as though she was in a trance.

She turned around and beckoned Sasuke to follow.

"This way." said the woman.

She began walking away from them, heading southward down the dock.

Sasuke turned back to Yamato.

"Come on. This is our best bet." said Sasuke.

"Alright, I hope you know what you're doing." said Yamato.

"Get back here so I can skin you alive!" shouted a voice loudly.

The voice came from behind him, and he could sense the man approaching fast.

He clutched onto his papers, and dove to the ground.

All he could make out from the blur that flew over him was long blond hair, and a long black trench coat.

Shikamaru checked to see if the papers were okay, then looked up to see Inoichi Yamanaka glaring at him.

"Inoichi! What is this all about?" exclaimed Shikamaru.

"What do you think it's all about? You know very well!" shouted Inoichi angrily.

He jumped at Shikamaru, kunai in hand.

Shikamaru jumped back just in time for the kunai to miss slashing his chest.

"Inoichi! Stop it! I haven't done anything wrong!" exclaimed Shikamaru.

Inoichi raised his hand, and let his kunai fall into his sleeve and out of sight.

"Maybe **you** don't think it's wrong! You... you..." seethed Inoichi angrily.

"Wait! Just stop! Can you at least tell me what I've done wrong?" reasoned Shikamaru.

Inoichi paused, his hands clenched tightly in an attempt to control his anger.

"You stay away from my daughter!" shouted Inoichi.

Shikamaru almost choked on his surprise.

"What? I can't! We're on the same team! You..." began Shikamaru.

He stopped to think.

_'Her father is angry at me, telling me to stay away... And I'm a boy of the same age group...'_ thought Shikamaru.

"Wait. Do... Do you think... That Ino and I..." began Shikamaru.

Inoichi's eyes narrowed, watching him intently, and keeping his anger at his side. Based on the look Inoichi was giving him in response, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Inoichi! Ino is a friend! Nothing more than that! Besides, I'm already in a relationship, happily!" added Shikamaru.

Inoichi blinked and dropped out of his stance.

"You... Aren't trying to, you know... _get with_ my daughter?" asked Inoichi.

Shikamaru looked at him incredulously. The fact that he had used finger quotations to emphasis "get with", made it all seem even more ridiculous.

"It's hard to tell if you're being serious, or if this is all some elaborate prank on me." said Shikamaru.

Inoichi examined Shikamaru.

_'Real surprise, confusion, and worry... It isn't an act.'_ thought Inoichi.

"Shikamaru, you're father and I were at the bar, and he insinuated that you and my daughter were together." said Inoichi.

Shikamaru paused for a moment before slapping his hand over his face.

_'(Sigh) Dad...'_ thought Shikamaru.

"Inoichi. My father already knows very well that I am with another girl. So he was either trying to pull your leg, cause trouble for me, or both." said Shikamaru.

"Tch, Shikaku... The next time I see him, it won't be pretty." grumbled Inoichi.

The two paused for a moment, the air between them now quite awkward.

"Shikamaru, I'm sorry about this. I really am." said Inoichi awkwardly.

"It's alright, if I was a father, and I heard that my daughter was dating a boy, I would try to kill him too." said Shikamaru.

"Really?" asked Inoichi.

"No." said Shikamaru flatly.

Inoichi scratched the back of head awkwardly.

"I'll see you later Inoichi. Try to forget about this like I will." said Shikamaru.

Inoichi paused in surprise for a moment, but ended up smiling softly.

"Thanks... Shikamaru." said Inoichi.

Shikamaru began to make his way to the Hokage Tower again, like he originally planned to do.

Inoichi was long gone, probably trying to find his troublesome father.

_'Damn it Dad... That wasn't funny. Now I'm late because of all that. If I don't get to the Tower soon, Shizune will be angry with me again.'_ thought Shikamaru.

"Shikamaru!" shouted a voice loudly.

Shikamaru casually slid to the side, Chouji landing with a thud right where he was just standing.

"Chouji. What's up?" asked Shikamaru.

"Have you seen Ino?" asked Chouji.

"Ah. So you're finally getting around to that. Good for you." said Shikamaru.

"Finally? You only just told me that she likes me not too long ago!" complained Chouji.

"(Sigh) Whatever. What do you want?" asked Shikamaru.

"I was wondering if you've seen Ino." said Chouji.

"Ah. The Ino thing again... Ino in on a mission right now." said Shikamaru.

"Where is the mission?" asked Shouji.

Shikamaru began sifting through the papers in his arms, pulled one out, and began reading it. After a few moments, he spoke up.

"Ino Yamanaka... blah blah blah... utmost importance blah blah blah... Ah! Here we go. She's off to... to... Where the fuck is this? Is there even anything that far out in the ocean?" said Shikamaru to himself.

"What ? Where is she?" asked Chouji in concern.

"Well according to her log, Ino is heading to coordinates that are farther east than Kirigakure." said Shikamaru.

"Farther east than Kiri? Nothing's out there except for a few islands filled with gnarly forest-ridden mountainous landscapes!" exclaimed Chouji.

"..."

"What?" asked Chouji.

"It's nothing, I'm just... surprised you knew that." said Shikamaru.

"..."

"Anyway, Not only are her coordinates farther east than Kiri, but they are as far North as Kumo." said Shikamaru.

"What? What's up there?" asked Chouji.

"A lot of mostly-uncharted, freezing-cold mountainous landscapes." said Shikamaru.

"Why are all of the regions that are uncharted, mountainous?" asked Chouji.

"Because mountains are a bitch to trek." said Shikamaru.

"..."

"What? They are. Anyway, I'm going to ask Tsunade about where exactly Ino is. Until then, you can just hang out at my place." said Shikamaru.

"Thanks Shikamaru. I appreciate all of this." said Chouji.

"Don't be troublesome." said Shikamaru with a smile.

They had been walking the streets for at least an hour, and they had not seen head nor literal tail of Naruto. In fact, they hadn't found a single shinobi from their team.

"Neji, it's been a while now. I'm starting to become worried." said TenTen.

Neji wrapped his arm around her waist and held her closer as they walked.

"I'm sure everything is fine. We just got separated during the jump." said Neji.

"Then why haven't we found each other yet? What if they all died from the fall?" exclaimed TenTen emotionally.

He could see the worry in her eyes. He knew she didn't like to think about those kind of things.

Neji sighed and rubbed his hand up and down the side of her waist.

"It's alright. Everything is fine. Everyone is fine. You are just being paranoid. Don't forget what level of ninja we are. We can handle ourselves." said Neji.

"(Sigh) Okay, okay. You're right. But I'm still concerned. What should we do?" asked TenTen.

Neji looked around. Most buildings looked the same based on paneling and design, but many were labeled with signs. There were many eateries and hotels all around them. There were accommodations in this town for just about anyone.

"We should find a place to sit still for a while." said Neji.

"Sit still? Why? Shouldn't we be looking for our teammates? Why haven't you found them yet?" asked TenTen quickly.

"Well, my Byakugan can see a very long distance... But it is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. There are just too many people." said Neji.

"A needle in a haystack? Who dropped a needle in hay? Why was a needle anywhere near hay?" exclaimed TenTen.

She was starting to become upset, and Neji knew that she needed to relax.

"TenTen..." began Neji.

"Why is the needle so important, that you would look for it in a stack of hay? Why not just get another needle?" exclaimed TenTen quickly.

"Tenny. You need to relax yourself. You are going to give yourself a panic attack." said Neji.

"No! I don't want to relax! Our friends are missing! We fell from a deadly height! They could all be dead! Hinata is unconscious! We left her with Naruto! He is perverted! And-and..." rambled TenTen.

Neji quickly held one hand over her mouth.

"You're just worried about Hinata... aren't you?" interrupted Neji.

TenTen paused for a moment before sighing in defeat. She took Neji's hand and put it back around her waist.

"Yeah... She's been through so much lately, what with Hiashi, and Daishi, and Naruto..." began TenTen.

Neji stopped walking.

She knew him so well. Just by looking into his eyes, she knew he wanted to say something important. She stopped and listened to what he wanted to say.

"TenTen. You seem to be forgetting that we have been through a lot as well." said Neji.

TenTen felt her eyes getting watery. She felt the need to cry, but held it back, just as she had been for quite some time.

"I know... I haven't forgotten... It's just that... Hinata... you know, she's kind of like a little sister to me... And I worry about her." said TenTen quietly.

"I know. I worry about her as well. But she can handle herself. She doesn't want anyone to worry about her. She doesn't want anyone to think that she is weak." said Neji.

"I know. But sometimes I... I just can't help it." whispered TenTen emotionally.

Neji held TenTen in a hug, feeling her hold him just as tightly in return.

"Do you... Do you think it will all be alright? When we get back?" asked TenTen.

"..."

Neji turned very quiet. A few seconds went by and he didn't respond.

"Neji?" asked TenTen.

"I don't know TenTen. It hurts to say, but I can't tell if anything will be alright when we get back." said Neji.

"But Neji, it was in self-defense! Maybe Hiashi will hear your side, and vouch for you!" said TenTen hopefully.

"Even if Hiashi is fine when we get back... and he does believe me... and he does vouch for me... He can only go so far to help me. The counsel has more power together than he does alone." said Neji.

"Maybe... maybe we shouldn't go back." said TenTen quietly.

"..."

"TenTen..." sighed Neji.

"We could find a home away from Konoha! We could settle down and... and..." began TenTen.

"And what TenTen? Just settle down somewhere we are unfamiliar with, to live a life away from our real home? No. Besides, I'm not going to let you leave your entire family, and all of your friends behind just so you can be with me." said Neji.

TenTen finally let her tears fall. The tears she had been bravely holding back. She let her emotions free, and buried her face into Neji's chest.

She remained quiet for a few moments, quietly crying into Neji's comforting embrace. Only the muffled sounds of her sharp inhales could be heard.

"I-It's not fair..." cried TenTen quietly.

"I know..." said Neji.

"You've done so much for your stupid clan... You don't deserve this..." cried TenTen quietly.

"... I know... But we'll think of something." said Neji softly.

"Yeah..." sniffled TenTen.

Neji looked around him again, noticing that they were standing outside a quaint hotel.

"Well, we can't find our teammates, so we will let them find us. Come now TenTen, let's relax." said Neji softly.

She rushed as quickly as possible. Who knows what kind of havoc was being reeked down in the secret holding chamber.

_'I can't believe this! How could this have happened?' thought_ Tsunade.

A ninja had infiltrated into their highest ranks. He was in close enough company with her that he could have assassinated her at any time. But he didn't. His mission was to feed information to the Sound, while pretending to be a loyal Konoha ninja.

_'I should have seen this coming from the start! As soon as we suspected him of abducting Hinata and Naruto!'_ thought Tsunade.

There were several things about Tyler that should have hinted her that something was wrong about him.

(Flashback)

Tsunade was sitting at her desk with Shizune and Tyler, sorting out the employee complaints/suggestion box.

"431... 432... 433..." counted Shizune.

Every time Shizune took out one paper from the complaint/suggestion box, she would count them.

She picked out three papers, put them on the table, then counted them aloud.

"434... 435... 436..." counted Shizune.

Tsunade sat behind her desk with a bored look on her face. She held her head up with one hand, while leaning her elbow on her desk.

Tyler was next to her desk, with a similar position and expression.

She had been counting the papers for the last 12 minutes, and Tyler hadn't moved since she began.

"..."

She picked out three papers, put them on the table, then counted them aloud.

"437... 438... 439..." counted Shizune.

She picked out three papers, put them on the table, then counted them aloud.

"440... 441... 442..." counted Shizune.

She picked out three papers, put them on the table, then counted them aloud.

"443... 444..." counted Shizune.

Suddenly Tyler jumped up from his chair and took out a large knife.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" screamed Tyler.

Tyler began quickly and madly stabbing at the papers on the desk.

"FUCKING jackass FUCKER FUCKS fucking all FUCKING day! FUCK!" shouted Tyler angrily.

Suddenly the knife disappeared from Tyler's hands, and he quickly sat back down in his chair, resuming the bored position.

Tsunade and Shizune peaked out from behind her desk where they had both jumped when he took out the knife.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" exclaimed Tsunade.

" A.D.D., Bipolar Disorder, Caffeine Intoxication, Caffeine-Induced Anxiety Disorder, Caffeine-Induced Sleep Disorder, Asthma, and an Extremely High metabolism." said Tyler quickly.

"...Really? You really have all those things wrong with you?" asked Shizune.

"Yeah. My symptoms include but are not limited to restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, muscle twitching, rambling flow of thought and speech, tachycardia, lengthened periods of inexhaustibility, and psychomotor agitation." said Tyler.

"..."

Shizune looked from the shredded papers on the desk, to the stab marks in the desk itself.

"You're insane." said Shizune in shock.

"Ah, but I'm sane enough to know it." said Tyler with a smile.

(End Flashback)

"Yeah... I probably should have seen this coming sooner..." muttered Tsunade irritably.

She was almost to the warehouse, she could already see it behind the last row of buildings.

"Tsunade!" exclaimed a voice.

_'Who is it now?'_ thought Tsunade in agitation.

"Wait! Un!" exclaimed the voice.

_'Oh.'_ thought Tsunade tiredly.

Deidara jumped up from the street to join her on the roof. He looked really tired, like he had been running around a lot.

"What do you want Deidara? I am very busy right now." said Tsunade quickly.

"I could see that, but it's important. Un." said Deidara.

"Alright, what is it?" asked Tsunade.

"Have you seen Itachi? How about Kisame? Tobi? Un?" asked Deidara worriedly.

"...Who is Tobi?" asked Tsunade.

"Oh... Nobody. Un... So have you seen Itachi or Kisame? Un?" asked Deidara hopefully.

"... Itachi is on a very important mission. And as for Kisame, I thought he was with you." said Tsunade.

"No! I haven't seen him for a long time! Un!" exclaimed Deidara.

"But not too long ago, you two were dressed as ANBU... annoying the hell out of me." complained Tsunade.

"That was the last I saw him! He said he was going to look for Itachi, but I haven't seen either of them since! If Yasu isn't told exactly why, and exactly how long Itachi will be gone, she might kill someone! Un!" exclaimed Deidara.

"Wait slow down! Who's Yasu? Another Akatsuki member? I don't need someone with that kind of skill and power going homicidal!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"What? No, Yasu is Itachi's squeeze. You should know her. She is one of the only Uchihas left. Un." said Deidara.

"What? That's impossible. The only Uchihas left are Sasuke and Itachi." said Tsunade.

"No! There are two more beside them! Un!"said Deidara.

"Two more? Who are they? Why haven't I heard of any of this before?" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Oop! I mean... There is only one more Uchiha besides Sasuke and Itachi... Un." said Deidara

"... Are you sure?" asked Tsunade suspiciously.

"Yeah. Yasu Uchiha was left alive after the Uchiha massacre. She still lives in the Uchiha district. Un." said Deidara.

"Hm... It seems like I should remember something important like that." muttered Tsunade.

"Yes you should. Un." commented Deidara.

"Hm... I'll have to pay her a visit." mumbled Tsunade.

"Yes you should. She would enjoy some company. She gets kind of crazy by herself, you know? Un." said Deidara.

_'Crazy... Tyler!'_ thought Tsunade.

"Sorry Deidara! I have to go! It's important!" exclaimed Tsunade as she ran past him.

"Um... Okay... Un." said Deidara in a confused manner.

Tsunade got to the warehouse blast doors, and quickly walked past the guards. She rushed through the next set of blast doors, and stepped into the elevator.

_'Come on! Come on!'_ thought Tsunade in irritation.

She angrily pressed the bottom floor button as quickly as she could. The slow pace of "Greensleeves" was already getting on her nerves. The elevator took her down 20 stories before stopping and finally dropping her off onto the moving platform which still hovered over the endless abyss.

The platform moved slowly across the abyss.

_'For God's sake, My mother moves faster! And she's dead!'_ thought Tsunade impatiently.

Tyler was in the vault guarding Orochimaru. TYLER was in the vault.

_'GOD! By the time I get there, there won't be any holding cell left!'_ thought Tsunade.

The floating platform stopped next to a ledge made of rock with a sealed door on the wall above it.

Tsunade stepped onto the platform, and quickly formed chakra into her hands.

Immediately, 20 glowing points appeared on the door in 2 vertical rows of ten.

_'Oh damn! What was it again! 4, 3, 19, 90?'_ thought Tsunade quickly.

Remembering the code, Tsunade quickly used her chakra to tap it in.

The door opened and Tsunade rushed into the darkness, the door closing behind her.

She suddenly heard a blur of movement in the air, and the ground her feet also jerked about and shifted randomly.

"AH! What the fuck was that? AH! OW! FUCK! AH! Was that a bat?" exclaimed Tsunade in confusion.

She stumbled into an object that poked her in the eye.

"OW!" exclaimed Tsunade.

She pulled on the object, and a door opened directly in front of her.

She desperately dove into it, escaping the dark room of unmentionable traps.

_'Forgot about that room...'_ thought Tsunade sheepishly.

She remembered looking at the schematics for that room herself. Remembering them, she considered herself lucky to be alive.

The room she was in now was a normal room, and there was nothing in it except the next door on the other side of the room.

Suddenly a man with a sword jumped out of nowhere.

"Shave and a haircut." said the man.

"Two Bits!" shouted Tsunade as she shoved him out of the way.

She ran to the other side of the room, and put her hand on the door's handle. She stopped for a moment and braced herself for what might be on the other side of this door.

_'Don't be destroyed... Don't be destroyed...'_ thought Tsunade.

She quickly opened the door, and was surprised at what she saw.

Orochimaru was still sealed, hanging in the middle of the room. Everything was exactly the same from her last visit.

She looked around suspiciously, not seeing Tyler anywhere.

"Well that's what I said, but she obviously doesn't value the same things I do." said a voice.

The voice was coming from near Orochimaru. She knew for a fact that it was Tyler's voice. She ran forward and stopped right in front of Orochimaru. Tyler was suddenly laying down on the floor in front of Orochimaru, with his legs crossed, and his arms behind his head. She could have sworn that he wasn't there before.

"Well, maybe it's just because she doesn't fully understand you. Have you tried talking to her about these things?" asked Orochimaru.

"Yeah, I've tried, but I'm just too impatient. When she doesn't get what I'm talking about straight away, I get aggravated, and tell her to never mind." said Tyler.

"You said before that she normally gets exactly what you are trying to say, even before you say it? But when you try to talk to her about this, she doesn't get it?" asked Orochimaru.

"Yeah. I've tried on multiple occasions, but I just can't get her, as a woman, to understand." said Tyler.

"Yes. Women will never understand Men, and Men will never understand women. Although... she sounds like the right fit for you. I'd just keep trying, and hopefully you will make progress." said Orochimaru.

"Ahem!" coughed Tsunade.

Tyler casually turned to look at Tsunade, but said nothing. His sunglasses blocked his eyes, which always bothered Tsunade. It was harder to read people if you couldn't see their eyes.

"Hello Tsunade." said Orochimaru.

Tsunade looked at Orochimaru for a moment before turning to Tyler.

"Tyler! We have to talk! Now!" commanded Tsunade.

"(Sigh) Usually when I hear that, I either have to move, buy, fix, paint, or apologize to someone or something."

"..."

"Yeah well this is different. What do you know about the Sound?" asked Tsunade.

"..."

"What sound?" asked Tyler.

"No, (sigh) The Sound army." said Tsunade.

Tyler looked up to Orochimaru.

"Well, of all the armies, the Sound army should be the most feared. White-out up there, experiments on most if not all of his Shinobi. I'm lucky I left when I did." said Tyler.

"...Did you just call me White-out?" asked Orochimaru.

"Never you mind. Tyler, I need you to talk to Ibiki. Now." said Tsunade.

_'Who knows who he's in league with to take us down. He could be with the Sound, or Water, or now... even the Snow...'_thought Tsunade.

At the mention of Ibiki's name, Tyler shot up from the floor, and backed away from her.

"Oh no you don't! This is all a ruse! Ashley put you up to this didn't she? Ibiki will hold me down, so Ashley can give me a shot!" exclaimed Tyler wildly.

"What? What shot? What are you talking about?" exclaimed Tsunade.

"I'm not falling for this Ashley!" shouted Tyler to nobody.

Tyler quickly disappeared in a strange distortion of air.

"..."

"Damn it! He's gone again! How are we supposed to catch him, if he can just keep doing that?" exclaimed Tsunade angrily.

She sighed and put her hand over her face, massaging the bridge of her nose.

"You could seal him." said Orochimaru.

Tsunade looked up at him in surprise. She almost forgot he was there.

"I know of a seal that would prevent him from accessing any of his chakra. In that way, he wouldn't be able to escape like that." said Orochimaru.

Tsunade looked at him for a moment before responding.

"That would still leave the issue of actually putting the seal on him. Before we could do it, he would just disappear, like he usually does." said Tsunade.

"If you don't mind me asking, why do you want to catch him? Has he done something wrong?" asked Orochimaru.

"Well we don't know for sure yet... But we have compelling evidence. After he arrived in Konoha six months ago, we starting getting reports of foreign ninja in our village. Only small at first, but the number of sightings began rising steadily. Every sighting we have ever had of these foreign ninja have never been physically confirmed. When the ANBU arrive, there is nothing to be found except the people who called in the sighting." said Tsunade.

"Just because he arrived around the same time, doesn't mean he is behind this. He could just be a victim of circumstance." said Orochimaru.

"You immediately defend him? I have to ask based on what I've heard. Do you recognize Tyler as someone you know?" asked Tsunade.

"...I must admit he seems very familiar. But only that." said Orochimaru.

Tsunade had a contemplative look on her face.

"Why? Am I supposed to know him?" asked Orochimaru.

"Well... He once told us that he had previously been a part of the Sound army. He also said that he was acquainted with you. Personally." said Tsunade.

"Well I hate to be any less help than I already am, but even if he does know me, I don't remember much of anything." said Orochimaru.

"Right... Hey. Do you remember... Kabuto?" asked Tsunade in a cautious manner.

"That name... rings a bell... In an alarmingly strong way... But I have no idea who that is." said Orochimaru.

"(Sigh)That's what I figured..." said Tsunade tiredly.

Orochimaru could see the stress in her expression. He frowned in a concerned manner, and tried to think of something comforting to say.

"Alright, I have to go now. The village needs to be prepared." said Tsunade.

"Prepared? Prepared for what?" asked Orochimaru.

"..."

Tsunade closed her eyes and walked out of the room, leaving him alone once again.

Yesterday had been the most eventful, surprising, scary, wonderful, nervous, and fulfilling day of her life.

She ran the bar with Konohamaru, again.

Konohamaru let her kiss him. KISS him! Certainly her first kiss wasn't under the circumstances that she had imagined, but it still happened, and it was still wonderful.

She actually blacked out for the first time in her life, but she couldn't remember why. After she kissed Konohamaru, everything kind of went black after that. She knew that something must have happened, but she couldn't remember.

Iruka had talked to her kindly, and revealed a great deal about relationships to her.

She bonded with Jiraiya, whom she was starting to really get attached to, in a family sort of way.

She talked to her father about how she kissed a boy, and he seemed to be fine with it.

She found out that Ibiki had taken the weight of running the bar off her shoulders, and she now called him Uncle.

To put it simply, yesterday was amazing.

_'I can't wait!'_ thought Hanabi excitedly.

She was practically skipping through the streets, her heart full of excitement, anticipation, and anxiety.

Anyone that knew the usually stoic Hyuuga, would hardly recognize her in her happy state.

She was going to see Konohamaru. Basically, she wanted to ask him if he wanted to date her. She knew that it was traditional for the male to ask the female out, but she couldn't stand waiting a moment longer.

She didn't want to admit it, not even to herself, but she was very nervous. She had never really been nervous about much of anything her entire life. She was taught to be proper, emotionless, and decisive. But when she looked at Konohamaru, she became entirely flustered. She always made fun of her sister when she became nervous in such a ridiculous manner, but now that she was figuratively in her sister's shoes, she felt compelled to apologize to her.

She made her way to the Upper district, which was made up of the expensive homes, and most of the clan grounds.

She was almost to the Sarutobi estate, but she stopped short when she saw someone she knew, standing outside of the walls, seemingly waiting for her.

He was bandaged up, and badly bruised where he wasn't already bandaged or clothed.

Instant worry flooded over her. Konohamaru looked like he was in a terrible fight.

She froze when he started walking towards her.

He seemed to walk normal, and that eased her worry. But she was conflicted. She was worried while she looked over his bandaged form, but she was also ridiculously nervous. On the way over, she had at least been confident that the conversation between them would go smoothly. But now, her knees were shaking slightly, her hands were already sweaty, and she was tongue-tied.

She should have started walking towards him, meeting him halfway there. She wanted to move, but she couldn't get herself to move from where she stood. Now that she had actually caught sight of him, she had almost no control over herself.

She was really worried about his injuries, how severe they really were, and how he had gotten them. But at the same time, she was nervous about asking him to date her. She was nervous about his closeness, the fact that they had already kissed, and the possible rejection that she could receive. Her mind was racing so fast, it was starting to make her feel uneasy.

_'What if he already has a girlfriend? What if those injuries are painful for him? What if he says no? What if those injuries are severe? What if he says yes?'_ thought Hanabi nervously.

Her mind was a discombobulated jumble. She just couldn't keep her thoughts straight.

"H-hello... Hanabi." said Konohamaru nervously.

Somehow, seeing him nervous as well, made her feel a little better. But it didn't stop her from worrying about his injuries greatly.

"K-Konohamaru! Are you alright? What happened?" asked Hanabi worriedly.

"I'm fine Hanabi... I'm feeling a lot better knowing that you care." said Konohamaru softly.

Hanabi blushed and felt her tongue tie itself again.

"Th-thank you..." was all Hanabi could manage to get out.

Konohamaru smiled warmly at her stuttering, but suddenly winced and held his side.

Seeing him in pain brought Hanabi out of her nervous state, and made her much more alert.

"Konohamaru... What happened?" asked Hanabi.

"We had a... an accident. During training. It was mostly my fault. You shouldn't worry about it, I feel fine." said Konohamaru.

Hanabi frowned. He was obviously not fine. From what she could tell, he had bruised or fractured ribs, a skull injury, and his legs seemed to be badly bruised all over, based on his stance when he stood still.

"Konohamaru. You do not look fine. You look terrible." said Hanabi.

A second after she spoke, her eyes widened and she slapped her hands over her mouth.

"No I didn't mean that! I'm saying that your injuries look bad! I didn't mean to insult you! You are very handsome!" exclaimed Hanabi.

Before she realized it, she had said quite a few things in quick succession. Right after she finished speaking, her hands shot over her mouth again.

She had outright called him handsome.

"You... You really think so?" asked Konohamaru bashfully.

Konohamaru was blushing more than he wanted to. And he didn't want to blush at all, blushing was embarrassing on its own.

He was used to being called handsome by the woman on the elder's counsel, but when Hanabi called him handsome, his mind almost shut down.

Hanabi had blurted out what she had said, so she wasn't prepared to respond, so she responded truthfully.

"Y-yes..." said Hanabi quietly.

She may have spoken quietly, but Konohamaru heard her, all too well.

His mind was conflicted with what he was supposed to be doing, what the counsel told him to do. He could feel them watching, waiting for him to do as they asked.

_(Flashback)_

_He was lying in a familiar bed. The Sarutobi private infirmary._

_Standing all around him, were only a few of his elders._

_He knew they were there, and where he was, but he did not want to open his eyes. He had been beaten down, probably by at least one of them. He didn't want to talk to them, especially when he knew what they were going to say._

_"Konohamaru, we know that you are awake." said an elder._

_Konohamaru gave up his facade, and opened his eyes warily._

_"Honorable Grandson, we have a feeling that you already know what you must do." said another elder._

_Konohamaru averted his eyes to the floor, not wanting to look at them._

_"We realize now, that going into the punishment room, you actually felt that you did nothing wrong." said an elder._

_"But you must understand, intermingling in... such a way, without her clan's permission, could have been devastating." said another elder._

_"Then why don't I simply ask for permission?" asked Konohamaru._

_The elders gave him a look that told him he shouldn't have spoken at all._

_"Hanabi is 13 years of age. She is much too young to be in such a relationship. Hiashi would no doubt be infuriated. He would probably go as far as to...__forcefully__separate you." said an elder._

_Konohamaru caught the emphasis on "forcefully", and didn't really want to know what it entailed._

_"You must end all relationships that you may have with her." said an elder_

_"Your team-to-team interactions with her will be limited to as few as possible." added another elder._

_"You are going to find Hanabi, and you are going to tell her that you want nothing to do with her." said an elder._

_"We will watch you, as always." said another elder._

_(End Flashback)_

He knew what they wanted him to do, but he did not want to do it. Not in the least.

He was having fun being with Hanabi, spending time with Hanabi, and even working with Hanabi.

They had gotten to know each other very well, and he wanted to further their newest... development in their relationship.

_'She kissed me so suddenly... then she knocked me out... I barely got to enjoy any of it, of her! I don't want this to end before it even begins!'_ thought Konohamaru.

He didn't even know what to call their relationship as of now. They kissed, so they were more than friends. But they hadn't talked about their relationship, so they weren't dating or anything like that.

_'I guess our relationship status would be... an awkward friendship.'_ thought Konohamaru comically.

Hanabi was standing in front of him, watching him... No, _studying_him. He could tell, that for whatever reason, she wasn't going to speak. She was waiting for him to speak. Her eyes were a whirlwind of steady emotion. From what he could tell, most of it was... anxiety.

He knew why she was anxious, because he felt the same way. But he had more to be anxious about. He knew what he had to say. He could feel the elder's eyes boring down on him, from several directions.

_'Let's get this over with... I can't stand waiting any longer.'_ thought Konohamaru.

"Hanabi." said Konohamaru.

Hanabi jumped slightly in surprise. She wasn't surprised that he had spoken, she was surprised at how he said her name. His voice was suddenly cold, steady, and sure. She didn't like the fact that it immediately reminded her of her father.

"Yes?" asked Hanabi simply.

"..."

Konohamaru hesitated for a moment, gathering the courage he needed to say what needed to be said.

"Hanabi Hyuuga, I am done wasting my time with you. I am of the Sarutobi clan, and I have much to accomplish before I can become the Hokage of this village. If I continue simply hanging about with you, I will have no progress in my training." stated Konohamaru.

"By every instance not gathered for our revered clan, enough debauchery." stated Konohamaru formally.

Hanabi was stunned, it was taking her a few moments for her to actually understand what he was saying to her.

"W-what?" exclaimed Hanabi.

"I mock seriously. Obviously, really ridiculous yearning." said Konohamaru.

He was either saying something in a way to make it so she didn't understand, or he was simply mocking her. Putting salt in wound still being inflicted.

He swiftly turned around, his own physical injuries making it awkward. He set a brisk pace back to his home, but he hated the tortuous stabbing sensation that was deep in his heart.

Konohamaru had disappeared from sight, leaving Hanabi stunned as to what just happened. After a few moments, her emotions caught up with her thoughts, and tears welled up in her eyes. Her stomach tightened, her tears blurred her vision, and her knees shook. She had never felt such a horrible sensation. The words that she understood, broke her heart in a terrible way.

Finally, after much resistance on her part, she began to openly cry. She held her hands over her face, and ran. She didn't know where she was going, as long as she was running away from there, from him.

They were traveling at a brisk pace now, but certain members of their team were becoming impatient.

"(Argh!) Are we even close yet?" exclaimed Ino.

"Relax Ino, we have only been traveling for two hours." said Gaara.

Gaara's voice certainly shut Ino up, but only because the sound of his voice creeped her out, and instinctively put her on guard.

"Fine..." mumbled Ino uncomfortably.

They had indeed been traveling for only two hours since they packed up camp. According to Gai's calculations, they were getting close.

"Don't be that way Ino, we're really close. I can already smell the sea air." said Kiba.

"I agree. It should only be a few minutes now." said Houkou.

"Really? That's great! I-WAHH!" exclaimed Ino suddenly.

Ino stopped talking in mid sentence. The reason for her doing so, was because she barely stopped herself from flying off of a very high cliff. The branch she stood on was hanging precariously over the edge.

"Nice going Ino, you found the Land of Waves." said Kiba boredly.

The looked down at the giant sea-side port, with thousands of ships docked or sailing.

"Kind of hard to miss." commented Gai.

"...Well, what are we waiting for?" asked Lee.

"We have yet to formulate a plan." interjected Gaara.

"A plan? All we have to do is find them! We don't need a plan!" exclaimed Kiba.

"Okay then Inuzuka. If it's so easy to find them, where are they now?" asked Gaara.

Gaara gestured to the city, putting it's massive size more into context.

"Hmph. I may not be able to find all of them right away, but I can find one of them for sure." said Kiba.

"Really? Right now?" asked Houkou.

"Yeah." said Kiba nonchalantly.

Kiba closed his eyes, and went silent for a few moments, breathing through his nose.

"Alright... The scent is masked heavily by another scent, but I've got her location." said Kiba.

"Her? It it Kurenai, TenTen, or Hinata?" asked Gai.

"Hinata, of course. I've memorized her scent, and it helps matters that her scent is very unique. Like... lilacs, lavender, and well... her." said Kiba.

"...I'm not entirely sure I like the fact that you've memorized her exact scent..." huffed Houkou.

"(Sigh) I feel like we've had a very similar conversation before." said Kiba in agitation.

Houkou withdrew a bit in realization, and began fiddling her hands around.

"Sorry..." muttered Houkou.

"Just never-mind it. The fact of the matter is that Kiba knows where Hinata is. She is the second most important target." said Gaara.

"Right. If it wasn't for the fact her scent reeked of another familiar scent, I might not have found her." said Kiba.

"Another scent? Who's scent?" asked Ino.

"Naruto's scent. She absolutely reeks of Naruto. It's like she rubbed herself against him over and over... then..." began Kiba.

Kiba stopped talking while his face flushed red.

Everyone understood what he realized he was about to say.

"He better not have..." began Kiba in anger.

"Put your emotions aside. This mission cannot fail." said Gaara.

"Yes. From what Tsunade told us, Naruto and Hinata must be kept on constant watch." said Sai.

"Worst of all, Tsunade said Hinata and Naruto should be kept as far apart as possible. From what you've told us Kiba, they seem to be inseparable." said Gai.

"It would be hard to separate them if Naruto is in her pants." said Sai.

"..."

"Either figuratively or literally." added Sai.

"..."

"I hate you." said Kiba.

"I'd like you, but I'm not fond of rabies." said Sai with a smile.

"You bastard!" shouted Kiba.

Kiba made a jump for him, but was stopped in mid-air by a hand of sand.

"Enough. We know our goal, and the situation. We are wasting time." said Gaara.

"You're right. We should begin our descent now, and split up to cover more ground." said Sakura.

"What if we can't find each other?" asked Houkou.

"We have these." said Gai.

Gai opened his bag and threw everyone a headset.

"We all have our own headsets, so communicating should be a breeze." said Lee.

"Alright! I'll go with Lee." said Gai.

"I'll go with Ino." said Sakura.

"I'll go with Kiba." said Houkou.

"I guess I'll go with Kazekage-sama." said Sai with a smile.

Sai put his hand on Gaara's shoulder.

"Don't touch me." stated Gaara evenly.

They had only landed on the docks less than an hour ago, but he was already becoming impatient.

"This woman has been leading us everywhere but where we want to go." said Yamato impatiently.

"This way." said the woman plainly.

Sasuke said nothing, and continued following the tranced woman.

"..."

"Sasuke, it's been over 30 minutes now... and I think we've seen that shop before." said Yamato.

"We are getting close to something, I can tell." said Sasuke.

"Oh okay Mr. Amazing... " said Yamato sarcastically.

"Overconfident douche..." muttered Yamato.

"What?" asked Sasuke.

"I said your mother was a whore." said Yamato offhandedly.

"..."

"Here." said the woman.

The woman gestured to the town square in which they now stood. She didn't gesture to anything specifically, it just seemed like she was simply pointing out that they were there.

"...Here?" asked Yamato.

"Here." repeated Sasuke.

Sasuke locked eyes with the woman, and sent the woman away with a flick of his hand. She quickly complied, and left without another word.

Yamato looked around, seeing only a large town square, crowded with people.

"Here? What's here? It's just the town square." said Yamato.

"Hm..." mumbled Sasuke.

Sasuke looked around, and noticed that a lot of people were crowded around the very middle of the square. It was easy to hear what they were all talking about.

"Yeah! I swear it was bigger than my house!" exclaimed a man.

"Uh huh. Sure it was. And your penis_isn't_ small." said a woman sarcastically.

"Why do you always have to do that?" whined the man in protest.

Sasuke stepped up to the couple, with Yamato following close behind.

"Excuse me, but I couldn't help but overhear what you said. Was there really a giant snake here?" asked Sasuke.

"Yeah! It was ENORMOUS!" exclaimed the man.

"Unlike your penis..." muttered the woman.

"Quit it! I have a low enough self-esteem as it is." complained the man.

"I hate to interrupt, but was there anyone that got particularly close to it?" asked Yamato.

"Yeah! There was this guy with a black cap, dressed in orange, and carrying a girl. He walked right up to it!" exclaimed the man.

"Did the girl have dark hair? Was she wearing a light purple and white jacket?" asked Yamato.

"...Y-yeah! How could you know that?" asked the man incredulously.

"I think we saw them on our way here." lied Sasuke.

"Was there anyone else with them?" interjected Yamato.

"Yeah... There was this crazy lady in a tan trench coat, and there was this guy with silver hair... come to think of it, he was dressed almost exactly the way you are." said the man.

Sasuke tensed for a moment, but Yamato was calm and ready.

"Really? He must shop at the same place I do. They sell this outfit in a bundle." said Yamato offhandedly.

"Well this has been interesting and all, but we do have business to attend to." said Sasuke.

"Out of curiosity, which way did those crazy people go?" asked Yamato.

"They went North, up along Cliff st." said the man.

"What a coincidence, that's where we're headed." said Sasuke.

"Maybe we'll get to actually see them, who knows." said Yamato casually.

"Well, we had better get moving, we don't want to be late. Thank you for the information." said Sasuke.

"Sure... no problem... it only took a minute of my time." said the man in slight confusion.

"Yeah, just like last night..." muttered the woman.

"Knock it off!" exclaimed the man.

They had walked back and forth through the street nearest to the cliff twice, and they had yet to find TenTen, Neji, Sasuke, or Yamato.

"Where do you think they could be?" asked Anko.

"No matter how many times you ask that question, I won't have the answer until we actually find them." said Kakashi.

Anko pouted childishly, but kept up her pace with the rest of the group.

"We are getting nowhere. We should stop moving, and let Neji find us." said Naruto.

"That's a stupid idea." said Anko.

"That... might actually be for the best." said Kakashi.

"What! If we don't move, then we are doing nothing! How is that supposed to help?" exclaimed Anko.

"Stop complaining Anko. Sitting still will help Neji find us with his Byakugan." said Naruto.

"Byakugan..." mumbled Hinata quietly.

Naruto instantly looked down at the girl in his arms.

"Hinata? You awake?" asked Naruto.

"Naruto... pants." mumbled Hinata.

"She's still asleep." concluded Kakashi.

Hinata's arms stuck up into the air, and her hands open and closed.

"Grabby grab..." mumbled Hinata with a blush.

"Well I for one don't have to guess twice what she's dreaming about." said Naruto with a blush.

"Whipped cream..." mumbled Hinata.

"Okay, maybe I do have to guess..." muttered Naruto in surprise.

"Rub up against me... Naruto-kun..." mumbled Hinata with a deep blush.

"Or maybe you don't." said Anko with a happy smile.

"Let's... let's just find a place to stay..." stammered Naruto in surprise.

"I won't have to guess what you'll be doing to Hinata in your room." teased Anko.

Naruto blushed heavily.

"S-Shut up." said Naruto.

Seeing Naruto's flustered state, he smiled and turned to Anko.

"If you're good, maybe they'll let you join them." teased Kakashi.

"Oh yes, that would be nice. I've been told I work wonders with a strap-on." teased Anko sensually.

Naruto's whole face turned red, and he quickly walked away from them.

"Ha! That was fun." said Anko happily.

"Glad you enjoyed it. But remember, try not to be too hard on him." warned Kakashi.

"What? Why?" asked Anko curiously.

"I would certainly hope you didn't forget what happened to Naruto in the forest." said Kakashi evenly.

That was all it took to get the message through. She could still see those fiery red eyes.

"Let's catch up to them, before they lose us as well." said Kakashi.

She felt horrible. She couldn't remember ever feeling this bad.

She was sitting at the Shinobi bar, in the back. Her head was face-down on the table, with her hands over her eyes.

She had been crying for some time. No matter how much she cried, she didn't feel any better.

"I d-don't get it... I've... I've been injured... m-much worse than this in training... But I've n-never hurt this much before... I've never f-felt worse p-pain!" cried Hanabi.

Ibiki stood over her, comforting her just like he had been since she came running into the bar, crying her eyes out.

"Ssshh. It's okay my little firecracker. The worst pain a person can feel, is emotional pain. Trust me, I know... It's my job." comforted Ibiki.

"B-but It's AWFUL!" sobbed Hanabi.

Tears flowed anew, and Ibiki held her up in a hug. She accepted without a word, desperate for any form of comfort to drown the sorrow in her heart.

"It's okay though. Life always goes on... until you die." said Ibiki.

"B-but... b-but... He HATES ME!" cobbed Hanabi.

Ibiki put his hand on her head and stroked it up and down, her brown hair getting more mussed up than before.

"Now now... You don't know that." said Ibiki.

"B-but I do! He said I w-was wasting h-his time! He m-mocked me!" cried Hanabi.

Ibiki continued to hold her in a hug, trying to calm her down.

"I'm sure everything will be alright." said Ibiki.

"T-this is all my fault." whispered Hanabi.

Instead of instantly denying her claim, his curiosity caught onto the situation.

"How so?" asked Ibiki.

"I... When I k-kissed him." said Hanabi.

Despite her heartbroken state, she still blushed at the memory.

"You think that you being too forward caused him to immediately drive you away out of fear or insecurity? That doesn't seem right." said Ibiki.

Hanabi barely blinked at his quick-minded perceptiveness, she was used to it.

"I... don't know what to think. I thought that we... were... at least going to try to date. The thought alone made me very happy." said Hanabi sadly.

"Kid, you know I'm a psychological expert, so you'll believe me when I say, something doesn't add up. There is an outside factor at play. Something that more than likely has to do with someone other than Konohamaru or you." said Ibiki.

"B-but... Maybe it IS m-me... Maybe he w-wasn't ready for something like th-that..." began Hanabi.

"No. I know Konohamaru very well. That can't be the case." said Ibiki.

Hanabi jumped back from Ibiki with a frown on her face.

"What? I know Konohamaru better than you do! I've known him since we were just little kids!" said Hanabi in agitation.

Ibiki smiled. Hanabi didn't like it when someone said they knew Konohamaru better than she did. And she was showing it.

_'Better than the state she was in only a few moments ago. Seems like she's the jealous type.'_ thought Ibiki.

"Hanabi, do you really think that Konohamaru acts the same around girls, that he does when he's around boys?" asked Ibiki.

"What do you mean?" asked Hanabi.

"When guys are with other guys, we talk about normal stuff, but we also talk about woman... a lot." said Ibiki.

"R-really?" asked Hanabi in surprise.

"Of course. Most men share things of perverse nature when they're with other guys. They say things that they can't when women are present. And let me tell you something, Konohamaru is definitely ready for an intimate relationship." said Ibiki.

"R-really? H-he said that?" asked Hanabi in surprise.

"Not in those exact words. But he talks all the time about how he wants a girl to hug and kiss and such. Aside from the innocent stuff, he also knows A LOT more things of sexual nature than he should at his age... Or any age for that matter." said Ibiki.

Hanabi blushed deeply and looked at the floor.

"I blame Naruto..." muttered Ibiki irritably.

"But still he.. he still mocked me, and said the most mean things to me. He was obviously rejecting me. Why would he do that then?" asked Hanabi.

Ibiki could see that she had drastically improved. Her calculating-emotionless-nature, inherited from her father, was beginning to show. As far as Ibiki was concerned, its timing couldn't be better. It was relieving her of her own pain and misery.

"As I said before, there is an outside factor at play. If I were you, I would think very carefully about everything he said to you, and what his motives were." said Ibiki.

"Right." said Hanabi with a nod.

"And if there was anything physically different about him, that could also clue you in on why he did what he did." said Ibiki.

"(Gasp!) There was something different. VERY different. He was terribly injured." said Hanabi in sudden realization.

Ibiki frowned instantly.

"Injured you say? What were his injuries?" asked Ibiki.

"He was nearly covered in bandages... He had a head injury... leg injuries... multiple arm injuries... a back injury... He really had a lot of injuries." said Hanabi thoughtfully.

_'Hm... That's a wide range of injuries on various places on his body... It would be a rarity for that to have been an accident.'_ thought Ibiki.

"Hm. Tell you what kiddo, I'll look into that for you. Until we next meet, try to talk to Konohamaru in a responsible and mature manner. Ask him why he suddenly shunned you away." said Ibiki.

"T-talk to him? I couldn't do that... Not so soon." said Hanabi quietly.

"I understand. Just... try not to let this ruin you. You are young, and you have your whole life ahead of you." said Ibiki.

With that, he disappeared. In his place, was a bottle of Sak'e.

Hanabi laid eyes on the bottle for only a second. She lunged for it like it was going to disappear as well. She quickly downed half the bottle, feeling it's effects instantly.

"Thank Kami... I needed that so bad." sighed Hanabi.

They had walked into what they thought was a quaint hotel, based on the outside appearance. But once they had gotten inside, they realized that this hotel was actually quite lavish. There were fountains in the lobby, and exotic plants all around. Everything looked expensive, and well furnished. The front desk was huge, and was made of finely polished and stained Red Elm. Just looking around the lobby, they could tell that the hotel was expensive.

"Maybe we should choose another place." said Kakashi.

"Yeah. Practicality considered, we probably can't afford this place." said Anko.

"Right. Come on Naruto, let's go... Naruto?" asked Kakashi.

Naruto, who was once at his side, was now walking towards him from the front desk.

"Did you say something?" asked Naruto.

Hinata shifted in Naruto's arms, distracting Kakashi for a moment before he could speak.

"Yes. I was saying that this place is probably too expensive for us. We should look for another." said Kakashi.

"But I've already booked us two rooms here." said Naruto.

"Y-you did? How much was it?" asked Anko in surprise.

"Nothing too expensive actually. Despite it's quality, they don't really charge that much. And they even have a hot spring." said Naruto.

"A hot spring? Really?" asked Anko in excitement.

"A hot spring... Now that is interesting. Maybe we will be able to relax here, despite our team being separated." said Kakashi.

"Sounds like a plan." said Naruto with a smile.

"Alright! Who gets what rooms?" asked Anko.

"I think we should split the rooms evenly." said Kakashi.

Kakashi leaned toward Naruto and motioned for him to turn around. Naruto was hesitant at first, but he complied. Kakashi then reached into Naruto's bag, and pulled out a red pinwheel. Immediately after taking out the pinwheel, the head of a small furry weasel popped out, getting a quick view of its surroundings before ducking back into the bag. Reminded of Itachi's presence, Kakashi hastily closed the bag, not knowing whether or not they allowed animals in the hotel.

Kakashi held up the pinwheel he had retrieved and looked at it.

"Anko, Kurenai, and I, will take one room, while you, Hinata, and Itachi take the other." said Kakashi.

Naruto didn't like Itachi, and he especially didn't like him anywhere near Hinata. Needless to say, he wasn't happy with the arrangement.

"Can't Itachi go with you?" complained Naruto.

"Now now, be respectful to Itachi. You'll hurt his furry little feelings." said Kakashi.

Naruto could have sworn he heard a growl come from his bag.

"(Sigh) fine, whatever..." muttered Naruto irritably.

Naruto took out a key from his pocket, and threw it to Kakashi.

"That's yours. It's situated directly across the hall from our room." said Naruto.

Naruto hefted Hinata up to get a better grip on her, then turned and walked away. It was obvious Naruto was irritated, but it still seemed rude to walk away from them like that.

Kakashi and Anko looked at each other, and shrugged in response to each other's silent question.

_'What's eating him suddenly?'_ thought Kakashi.

_'He better be able to control himself...'_ thought Anko warily.

They followed Naruto down a hall that led to a large room. On the left side of the room, there was a door that led to a hotel room. On the right side of the room, there was another door that led to another hotel room.

"This is it. I'm going to get us settled in. Let me know if something happens, or if you need any help." said Naruto.

Naruto walked to the left room, pulled out his key, opened the door, and walked in without another word. When the door softly closed, Kakashi and Anko looked to each other.

"I hope the kids are going to be alright. He seems like he's troubled all of the sudden." said Anko in concern.

"For everyone's sake... He needs to be alright." said Kakashi.

In Naruto and Hinata's room, Naruto locked the door, and looked around the room.

The room was quite big, and it had plenty of furniture. There was a coat-rack to his right, and there was a door to the bathroom to his left. Looking out into the room, he counted 5 large comfort chairs, one couch, and a luxurious king-size bed on the far end of the room.

_'The bed is a little big...'_ thought Naruto.

He walked all of the over to the bed, and looked down at Hinata.

She had been sleeping for quite a few hours.

_'I hope she's alright... Her chakra levels keep fluctuating up and down. It makes me worry.'_ thought Naruto in concern.

He gently laid her down onto the bed, putting her feet together, and resting her hands on her stomach.

Out of curiosity, Naruto moved her hands out of the way for a moment, and lifted her shirt up to the bottom of her bra.

Naruto saw part of the bra for a second, and blushed, covering it up quickly. For once, he got a good look at her stomach. She had toned abs, and to his surprise, she was really skinny. She looked as though she dieted constantly.

_'Hinata... you're... so fit.'_ thought Naruto with a blush.

He laid his hand on her stomach, feeling her soft skin, and toned abs.

Hinata giggled a bit in response to his touch, but otherwise did not wake up.

The skin on her stomach was the same as it was on the rest of her body. Pale in tone, soft in texture, and completely hairless.

_'How does she not have any hair? Most people have at least a little fuzz..._' thought Naruto.

Putting his current thoughts to the side, he got down to what he really wanted to do in the first place.

He put his palm directly over her navel, and closed his eyes.

He let his chakra interact with her coils, feeling a gentle response from her chakra's natural state. Her chakra seemed to gently embrace his, twisting and weaving around his own chakra.

_'It figures her chakra would be like this at the core... Gentle, and gracefully flowing.'_ thought Naruto in admiration.

Suddenly, Naruto felt a fluctuation of chakra, and opened his eyes.

A pattern of chakra began to appear on her navel. When it finished appearing, Naruto immediately recognized it.

He lifted up his own shirt and jacket, and applied chakra to his own stomach.

The base of the seals were almost completely identical, but they were different.

_'I wish I knew anything about seals... But it seems like her seal is missing something.'_ thought Naruto.

He decided not to delve into it. If her seal needed anything else, the Hyuuga clan would have surely put it on originally.

Satisfied that she was alright, he put her shirt back into place, and laid her hands back on her stomach. Naruto then took off his backpack, and laid it on the floor.

He laid his eyes back on Hinata, who was peacefully sleeping.

_'She's so cute... I can't believe we haven't gone out on a single date yet...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto leaned down close to Hinata and lifted up her torso. He unzipped her jacket, and carefully removed it. He put her back into her original position, and took off his own jacket. He walked over to the entrance door, and put his and Hinata's coats on the coat-rack.

He turned back around, and saw Itachi. Itachi was still in his weasel form, and had escaped from his backpack. He was now laying on Hinata's stomach, underneath her hands. Somehow, he had weaseled himself under there.

"Oh no no no no NO!" said Naruto angrily.

He quickly made his way over to Itachi, and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, holding him up.

Itachi had a tired expression on his face.

"What?" asked Itachi.

"No. You are not going to sleep on Hinata." said Naruto sternly.

"Fine, I'll sleep against her." said Itachi.

"No! I don't want you anywhere near her!" said Naruto angrily.

"...Why?" asked Itachi.

"Why do you have to be anywhere near her anyway?" asked Naruto suspiciously.

"She's warm. She's already sleeping, and I'm tired. It's that simple." said Itachi.

"Itachi. The others might seem to trust you, but I don't. I don't care what you do or say to me, but you leave Hinata alone. If I catch you doing anything suspicious anywhere near Hinata, we are going to have a serious problem. One involving blood." said Naruto.

Naruto wasn't kidding, his expression told that much. Itachi could tell when an opponent was serious, and Naruto was ringing warning bells in his instincts right now.

"Fine. Whatever." mumbled Itachi.

Itachi began to squirm back and forth, letting Naruto know that he wanted to be let go.

Naruto promptly dropped him onto the floor.

As soon as he hit the floor, Itachi immediately darted under the bed, and out of sight.

Naruto waited for a moment, but nothing happened. Figuring that Itachi was probably going to sleep under the bed, Naruto decided to take a little nap himself. Hinata's body was more than inviting. Without her jacket on, Hinata breasts and curves weren't hidden. Naruto had to constantly remind himself to keep his thoughts clean.

He walked around the large bed, and laid down next to Hinata.

(Squeeeeeeaaak!)

Naruto immediately jumped in surprise, and landed on his feet next to the bed.

Itachi was on the bed, and he was breathing quickly. His fur was all ruffled, and he looked flustered.

Naruto had laid down on him without even knowing it.

"Itachi! I said no!" said Naruto angrily.

"You said not to do anything suspicious near Hinata, and you told me not to touch Hinata. I wasn't touching her, I was sleeping next to her... Until you almost crushed me." said Itachi.

"I thought you were going to sleep under the bed!" exclaimed Naruto.

"Who said I was going to do that?" asked Itachi.

"I just assumed. Now get off the bed." said Naruto sternly.

"Why? I barely take up any space, and I'd prefer to sleep on a bed if I was given the choice." said Itachi.

"I thought I made it perfectly clear that I don't want you anywhere near her. This is the last warning Itachi, stay away from Hinata." said Naruto angrily.

"But I have to become acquainted with Hinata. Sasuke thinks I'm her pet. It would be suspicious for me to never be near her." said Itachi.

"Well Sasuke isn't here right now is he? Given the Sasuke situation, I'll let you be near her, but only under my supervision, and only when you need to. Until then, get away from her, before I make you." said Naruto angrily.

Naruto was not to be trifled with. That was the point he was trying to get across to Itachi.

"You seem to forget who you are talking to. I am S-ranked in the Bingo book for a reason. I will not be pushed around like some mediocre amateur." said Itachi.

"Itachi. I'm warning you."said Naruto quietly.

Itachi lifted up his right paw, and held it dangerously close to Hinata's side.

"Don't you fucking dare touch her." warned Naruto angrily.

His soft spot was obviously Hinata. He was completely overprotective of her.

Itachi moved his paw precariously back and forth, teasing the fact that he was so close to touching Hinata.

"Don't you dare." seethed Naruto.

Naruto was tightening his grip angrily, holding back as not to let the situation blow out of proportion.

Itachi stared right at Naruto and lifted his paw up, looking as though he was going to move it back down and touch her.

"I'll do it." said Itachi.

Itachi suddenly, and very quickly, touched Hinata. Before Naruto could even react, Itachi was suddenly grabbed by Hinata.

Hinata was snuggling him close to herself. She was trying to put him under her head, like a pillow. But Itachi kept trying to squirm away.

Finally, after a few moments of trying, Hinata gave up. She grabbed Itachi by the tail, and threw him into the wall behind the bed. Itachi stuck to the wall for a few moments before sliding down it and landing on his back. Hinata snuggled back into place, and resumed sleeping.

"Ow." said Itachi.

"That's what you get. You're lucky it was Hinata and not me." said Naruto.

Naruto looked down at Hinata to see that she was still asleep. She also hadn't said a single word.

Confident Itachi wouldn't be getting back up, Naruto carefully laid back down on the bed, trying not to disturb Hinata. But as soon as Naruto laid down, Hinata rolled over, and threw her arms around him.

Naruto blushed in surprise, and didn't know how to react at first.

"Mnn... Naruto-kun..." mumbled Hinata.

Naruto smiled and held her closely to his chest. The feeling of her breathing in and out, slowly lulled him to sleep.

Things were not going well for her. They weren't going well at all.

She still hadn't gotten a response from Kakashi, so she had no idea if Naruto was alright or not.

The major clan leaders all took part in a secret meeting apart form the elder counsel. That in itself was horrible. They would all be in hot water if they were discovered.

The counsel was threatening to replace her as Hokage if she didn't show immediate results of the Jinchuriki situation.

An entire army was threatening to attack Konoha if they didn't meet their demands, and they only had a week to comply.

There were sightings of foreign ninja all around the village, and the number of sightings were increasing.

Something was going on, something big. If it was all a coincidence that all of these were happening at the same time, they were extremely unlucky.

"Gah! Stupid man. He and Ashley are are the only loose ends right now. I can't believe we can't catch him! Have we so little power in our village?" said Tsunade aloud.

The ANBU had been ordered to apprehend the man known as Tairaa Satou. They had been unsuccessful many times before, but now it was essential.

"Damn it! If he talks... or worse, if he's a double agent... He already has enough information to destroy Konoha from the inside out." mumbled Tsunade loudly.

She was charging through the streets at a brisk pace, everything seemed to be crashing down around her. There was too much at once. Too many problems, not a single solution.

"I can't stand this!" shouted Tsuande.

Tsunade suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder, bringing her to a stop.

"Tsunade. You are the Hokage of this village. You have to be strong. Stronger than anyone. Naruto knows this well, and yet you call him the idiot." said Jiraiya.

The mention of Naruto would normally calm Tsunade down, but the fact that he was in grave danger, only drove Tsunade's stress to new levels.

"I haven't been the one to endanger his life! I haven't been the one teaching him to use powers, that would eventually kill him!" cried Tsunade.

"I was only doing what you told me to do." said Jiraiya.

Those words hit Tsunade like a lead weight. Memories old and new flooded back into her conscious mind, causing her to take a step back in surprise.

The reason those words had hit her so hard, was because they were true, and they were very familiar.

Jiraiya had said those exact words, in that exact tone, with that exact expression, many times. She was reminded of all the things Jiraiya had done for her over the years. She was reminded of all of the things he gave up for her. And now, she was reminded that she was the one to tell Jiraiya to take care of the "Kyuubi problem." She was the one who sent Naruto on his current mission. She was the one who sent Hinata to her eminent doom. She was the one, who had failed to be there, when Jiraiya needed her the most.

Her eyes teared up dramatically. She had a look on her face that said she didn't want to cry, but her mind was not giving her the option. It was too much. Tsunade jumped into Jiraiya, holding him tightly, and crying heavily into his chest.

"I'm SORRY!" sobbed Tsunade.

Things had taken such a drastic turn so quickly, that Jiraiya almost didn't catch what had transpired.

"Tsunade. It's alright. It was the right thing to tell me to do. I was just doing what you told me." said Jiraiya.

"That's what I'm sorry about!" cried Tsunade.

Jiraiya didn't know how to respond to that, he didn't understand.

"For years and years I've told you what to do, and you always did it! And what have I given you? What have I given you in return?" shouted Tsunade.

"A Son." said Jiraiya quietly.

Tsunade froze in place. She inhaled sharply, and tightened her grip on Jiraiya, letting her tears flow again.

"Damn it..." whispered Tsunade through her tears.

Jiraiya held her for a few moments, understanding her sorrow, and her irritation of herself.

"Our son may be dead... But a little piece of him still remains." said Jiraiya.

"(Sniff) I know... I'm sorry Jiraiya... for everything... I really am." said Tsunade quietly.

"...You don't have to be. You've given me so much Tsunade. You just never realized how much you mean to me." said Jiraiya.

"Yes I did... A long time ago." said Tsunade quietly.

She rested her head against Jiraiya's shoulder, realizing that he was all she needed to feel better. When he was there, everything just seemed easier.

"I'm sorry." said Tsunade again.

"If you spend all your time saying sorry to me, you won't have time to get anything important done." said Jiraiya.

"I know." said Tsunade.

Her mind was straightening things out, and she was becoming more calm.

"Well, what's the most important thing on your list right now?" asked Jiraiya.

"I have to find Tyler and Ashley, and tell them to keep quiet about the meeting." said Tsunade.

"I thought you said you were worried about him being a traitorous spy." said Jiraiya.

"I am. I'm almost certain he is a spy. But right now he's playing along with the fact that he works for me. I need him to keep quiet as long as I can." said Tsunade.

"I see... Well now is your chance." said Jiraiya.

Tsunade looked at him in confusion, so he pointed behind her.

Across the street, there was a small restaurant. Sitting on two of the seats, were Ashley, and Tyler.

"..."

"You've got to be shitting me." said Tsunade.

Her ANBU were supposed to be searching for this man, and he was sitting in the wide-open.

"Well, I suggest going and talking to him about this. From my experience with him, he seems like a sensible guy... when he wants to be."said Jiraiya.

"(Sigh) Fine. I'll try. But he'll just disappear like he usually does." said Tsunade.

She walked slowly over to the restaurant, cautiously trying to make her presence casually known.

"I know! She's so cute!" laughed Ashley.

"Right? She's so shy, but that only amps it up." said Tyler.

"Ha, yeah. I'd love to see the look on her face when he finally sticks it to her." said Ashley with a blush.

"Haha. You spend too much time with me Ash." said Tyler with a smile.

Ashley got off her seat, and scooted onto his lap.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." cooed Ashley sensually.

"No, but I know exactly what you would say." said Tyler with a mischievous smile.

Ashley shyly moved in and kissed him, only for a moment, but it was all she needed to get her message across to him. Suddenly, Tyler's demeanor changed, silently alerting Ashley that something was up.

"Tsunade. What a surprise this isn't." said Tyler.

Ashley looked up to see Tsunade standing a few yards behind Tyler.

Ashley's face turned red, and she jumped off of Tyler, and back onto her own seat.

Tsunade walked up to them, and stood just behind their seats.

"Tyler, Ashley." said Tsunade formally.

"I hear-tell you want to talk to me." said Tyler.

Tsunade looked at Ashley knowingly, but she didn't respond.

She had an embarrassed look on her face, and it didn't look like she was going to look up from the counter she was staring at.

Tsunade had to keep calm, and she had to remain formal. Last time she ended up yelling at him, and that didn't give her good results.

"Indeed. If you can spare a minute of your time." said Tsunade.

"I indeed can. What is this about now?" asked Tyler.

"There was a meeting you were present for. It had to do with the Jinchuriki in this village." said Tsunade.

"I remember." said Tyler.

Tyler took out his flask, and took a quick swig from it, pocketing it as quickly as he took it out.

"Well, I would like you to know, that meeting was classified. You are not to speak of this meeting to anyone. It never happened." said Tsunade.

"Fine. It never happened." said Tyler with a smile.

Strange enough, she trusted him.

"Good. That aside, I have something else to discuss with you. It has to do with your allegiance to this village." said Tsunade seriously.

She had to watch him now. She knew she always had several ANBU on standby, but she had no idea how this would go.

"OH! That reminds me. Here." said Tyler.

Tyler's hand reached under his hat, and he pulled out a scroll. He immediately held it out for Tsunade to take. Tsunade was hesitant at first, but she took it from his open hand.

She opened the scroll up, and almost dropped it in surprise.

This was a scroll that was in the official format of a village alliance agreement. The thing that threw her off was that it appeared to be signed by the Hyorinkage.

"This is signed by the Kage of the Land of Snow?" asked Tsunade.

"Well, the Land of Snow doesn't have a Daimyo, So it is only signed by the Kage."said Tyler.

"It is an imperfect system, but it works nicely." said Ashley quietly.

"This treaty gives us full access to your village! War assistance, weapons, natural resources... Everything!" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Of course." said Tyler.

"B-but why?" exclaimed Tsunade.

"Well why not? Out of all the villages, this village is the most hospitable. You people have manners. You don't kill children. You don't experiment on your Shinobi. You fight to the death to defend your friends and family. Why wouldn't we want an allegiance with you?" asked Tyler.

Tyler handed her a pen, and pointed to a space at the bottom next to another empty space. One space was left for the Hokage, and the other was left for the Fire Daimyo.

"As simple as that?" asked Tsunade in disbelief.

"As simple as what?" said Tyler.

"..."

Tsunade couldn't believe this. The signing of this treaty would allow their village to come and go in and out of Koorigakure as much as they pleased. It would also give them full access to their resources, as well as their weaponry and shinobi.

But then again, she had yet to get confirmation that this village even existed. They had the coordinates, but that was it. The reason she had sent Naruto and the others to Koorigakure was to confirm its existence, and to give a report of its layout and general culture.

But they had yet to return.

Tsunade didn't know what to think. Until she knew that the village even existed, this treaty was worthless. But if it did exist, she would be gaining everything, and loosing nothing.

"All you have to do is sign it. I will bring it the the Fire Daimyo afterwards." said Tyler.

"Well, I can't just sign it right here, right now. I'm required to confer with the counsel before any decisions are made." said Tsunade.

"I understand. Well, you know where to find us. I don't work for you for the next two days, so if you need to talk to me, we'll be at our home." said Tyler.

Tyler held out his hands, and as if reading his mind, Ashley immediately hopped up into them.

Ashley looked up at Tsunade, and blushed, looking back down in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry for biting your head off before. I was agitated because nothing was going right before you showed up at my doorstep." said Ashley sheepishly.

It took Tsunade a moment to realize what she was apologizing for.

"Based on the mess, I was under the assumption, that you were trying to create a miniature junkyard on my floor." said Tyler.

Ashley gave him a look that told him to shut up, but he only smirked in response. Ignoring the interaction between the two, Tsunade replied.

"It's quite alright. I understand what those days are like." said Tsunade.

_'Today was one of them.'_thought Tsunade.

Ashley smiled warmly.

"Thank you for being so understanding... I guess we'll see you around..." said Ashley.

With that, Tyler and Ashley instantly disappeared.


	41. Rest or be Rested

_**My Heart's Lavender Eyes**_

"Normal speech"

Sign Language = Name: (Stuff that they sign)

'_Thought'_

_**Kyuubi**_

**Other enormous beings**

There is a poll on my profile. Answer it if you wish.

There is a forum, it is named:"My Heart's Lavender Eyes Forum." It is for all those who want to discuss this fic. Anything you want to see, or improve, then participate in the forum, and I will read what you have to say. Your opinion can have an effect on this story. Participate if you wish.(Link is in my profile)

"_**Disclaimer"**_

I do not own Naruto or any affiliation there being, I am doing this fanfic because I enjoy making this story, not for the profit (which I do not get by the way)

_**Chapter 41:**_

_**Rest or be Rested:**_

* * *

The air was calm, and the light was dim. Everything seemed to be so comfortable. She hadn't remembered sleeping this well in a long time. Her body was relaxed, her tension was gone, and she was warm. Really warm.

_'Why am I so warm?'_ thought Anko.

She groggily tried to sit up from her laying position, but she couldn't move. She could feel the warmth of another person against her. Her eyes shot open, face-to-face with Kurenai's cleavage.

"..."

Kurenai had one leg wrapped around Anko's hip. Kurenai also had her hands entangled in Anko's purple hair, forcing Anko's face into her breasts.

"...YAAAAH!" screamed Anko.

Anko quickly pried Kurenai away from her.

As soon as Kurenai was off of her, she realized that someone was holding her from behind. She froze for only a moment before she realized who it was. She jumped up off of the bed, Kakashi's arms flopping down carelessly onto the mattress. Kakashi had been holding her from behind, probably all night. The thought alone gave her unfamiliar feelings, and several uncomfortable ones.

She was about to shout at both of them, but she realized that they had somehow not yet woken up. She paused for a moment, debating whether to wake and berate them, or to let them sleep.

_'On one hand, they both just pissed me off, and violated my personal space... But on the other hand, they both look really tired.'_ thought Anko.

She didn't know whether it was the way they looked defenseless, or the way they looked exhausted that made her decide to not berate them.

_'I think Kakashi was groping my chest...'_ thought Anko self-consciously.

All she wore when she went to bed was her bra, panties, and a large black shirt she had always used to sleep with. She had it for so long, she had completely forgotten where she had gotten it. She remembered that when she was just a Genin, the shirt went down to her ankles. But now, the shirt only went down to her mid-thigh.

_'I don't know who this was made for, but they were tall...'_ thought Anko.

Once in a while she would think about whose it was, but the shirt had become such a normality for her that she wouldn't usually give it a second thought.

_'Maybe it was my dad's...'_ thought Anko.

The thought froze her for a moment. She couldn't remember her parents. The fact that even their very image was lost to her still made her gut twist. She shook her head and changed her train of thought, returning to the two strange ninja who were still laid out on the bed.

She stared awkwardly at the sight before her. Kurenai was sprawled to the side, sub-consciously feeling around in the place Anko used to be.

_'What is she lonely or something?'_ thought Anko.

She hesitated for a moment, before walking over to the bed again.

She grabbed the blankets she had flung away before, and pulled them back over Kakashi and Kurenai.

"There, now they can't complain about being cold or whatever." mumbled Anko.

Anko turned around, and walked over to a dresser which stood next to the bathroom door on the opposite side of the room.

She opened up the top drawer, and was surprised to find that none of the undergarments were hers.

_'None of these are purple...'_ thought Anko.

She saw black and gray boxers, which were Kakashi's, and several white and red panties, which must have been Kurenai's.

She blushed as she filed through them, finding hers at the bottom.

_'Yays.'_ thought Anko happily.

She took one pair out, and closed the drawer. She then opened the second drawer, which had several different pairs of socks in them. She knew none of them were hers, because she didn't wear socks.

She closed that drawer, and opened the third drawer. It was full of undershirts. One pile was all mesh shirts with red collars. One pile was all black medium-sleeved under-armor. And finally there was plain mesh. She considered borrowing one of Kurenai's meshes just to have a different colored collar, but she decided against it. She took what was hers and closed the drawer. She looked down to the next drawer and opened it. Like the rest of the drawers, there were three different clothes in it. On the left was a pile of what looked like bandages. On closer inspection, she found that they were only tight shorts with a bandage pattern on them. In the middle, was a pile of standard blue pants. And finally, there was a pile of mesh shorts, coupled with light brown skirts. She grabbed what was hers, and walked into the bathroom.

_'Well, one good thing about getting up early, is having a guarantee of hot water.'_ thought Anko off-handedly.

As Anko took her shower, Kakashi and Kurenai still rested on their bed. Kurenai had moved to Kakashi's side of the bed, and had wrapped her arms around him. Kakashi had one arm trapped under Kurenai, and the other flopped lazily in the other direction. The bad thing about this was that the circulation in Kakashi's arm was starting to be cut off from Kurenai's weight. The tingling discomfort was beginning to wake him.

"No I... only have one..." murmured Kakashi.

He was beginning to realize what the familiar feeling was, but he was only half awake. He opened his visible eye to see Kurenai's closed eyes up close. Her forehead was pressed lightly against his. Something about how peaceful Kurenai's face was, kept him quite calm. He was relaxed, but he was awake now. He knew what the situation would be if Kurenai woke up to find a perv such a himself so close to her. He tried to remove Kurenai's grip from his torso, but she didn't seem to want to let go. He didn't want to use force, because he didn't want to accidentally hurt her.

At that point, Kakashi's movement had woken her up. Her eyes slowly opened to see one eye looking back at her.

"Kurenai. I would like to get up now. Could you please let me go?" asked Kakashi.

Kurenai flushed a light red, and quickly sat up in the bed, letting him go immediately.

"..."

There was a silence between them, Kurenai's mind was still a bit flustered from being so close to him.

"You are very friendly in your sleep." commented Kakashi.

Kurenai blushed a bit more, but turned away in a huff. Her arms were crossed, and her nose was high.

"Is that so?" huffed Kurenai.

_'She doesn't bother looking at me when she talks. She's angry with me now.'_ thought Kakashi.

Kakashi was good at determining what caused people to react in certain ways for certain reasons. He knew that she wasn't really angry with him, but was projecting her irritation. She was only irritated because Kakashi had caught her doing something she didn't want to be seen doing.

_'I shouldn't have vocalized it. I should have just acted like it never happened.'_ thought Kakashi.

"It's not a big deal you know. Lots of people do strange things subconsciously while they sleep. Just ask Hinata." said Kakashi.

That actually made her feel a lot better. Hinata had always had the strangest sleep phenomenons.

"Hehe... She once stole a pair of Shino's pants and put them on my head while I slept." said Kurenai with a smile.

"Really? That's hard to picture Hinata doing something like that." laughed Kakashi.

"(Giggle) We found her in the morning under her sleeping bag, laying on top of Kiba and Shino's sleeping bags." chuckled Kurenai.

"Haha... Was she nude?" asked Kakashi.

Kurenai turned beat red and just missed smacking Kakashi in the face because he dodged.

"What! Why would you ask that?" exclaimed Kurenai.

"I just assumed it was something like that." said Kakashi.

"Why would you assume it was like _that_?" asked Kurenai incredulously.

_'Aha. So it turns out Hinata wasn't always so... sleep-Moe.'_ thought Kakashi.

"Haven't you... Didn't Sakura tell you? You don't know?" asked Kakashi.

Suddenly Kurenai's mood changed completely. She narrowed her eyes, and eyed him suspiciously.

"I don't know what?" asked Kurenai evenly.

"I just assumed she was always like... um... I shouldn't have said anything." said Kakashi.

_'I'm not going to go telling Hinata's secrets without her permission. That's simply underhanded.'_ thought Kakashi.

He could instantly tell that Hinata was a touchy subject for Kurenai. When he first brought Hinata up in a humorous light, she quickly brightened up. But as soon as she realized Kakashi knew something about Hinata that she didn't, she immediately became suspicious.

"What do you and Sakura know that I don't?" asked Kurenai evenly.

Kakashi knew that Kurenai wasn't going to take no for an answer. So he wasn't going to give her one.

"Well, I think it's about time I take a shower." said Kakashi.

He slowly got up from the bed, but then, unexpectedly, he made a dash for the dresser. He quickly gathered his clothes as Kurenai jumped off the bed after him.

"Oh no you don't! You're going to answer me right now!" shouted Kurenai.

Kakashi quickly gathered his last article of clothing just in time for Kurenai to miss tackling him and slamming herself into the dresser. Knowing that it only slowed her down a little, Kakashi quickly ducked into the bathroom, and shut the door behind him. He held it shut with Kurenai kicking and screaming on the other side.

"Kakashi! You open this door right now!" shouted Kurenai angrily.

Kakashi had the door shut tightly, but that was no longer a concern. His attention was now in the center of the bathroom. He couldn't bring his attention elsewhere no matter how hard he tried. His face was now blushing red, and he stopped breathing for a moment in disbelief at what he was seeing.

Anko was standing in the middle of the room, dripping wet and completely naked. Her face was just as red as his face. After five seconds of awkward staring, enough blood rushed to Anko's head that her brain caught on with what was happening. She quickly covered herself with her arms and awkwardly tried to move from Kakashi's view.

"K-Kakashi! L-Look away!" exclaimed Anko.

"I... I can't." stammered Kakashi in amazement.

"Kakashi I swear to Kami if you don't open this door!" shouted Kurenai angrily as she pounded on the door.

"Kakashi! Get out of here!" shouted Anko in a blushing fury.

"Kakashi! Get out here now!" shouted Kurenai.

"I'm so conflicted!" exclaimed Kakashi.

If he went outside, Kurenai would most likely put him into a Genjutsu until he revealed what he knew about Hinata. More than likely, the Genjutsu would include torturing him. On the other hand, if he stayed in the bathroom with the naked and wet Anko, she might beat on him. But based on how Anko had reacted so far, she might just stand in the corner, covering herself while squirming nervously under his sight.

"Sorry Kurenai. It's either I go out there with you, and risk getting tortured, or stay in here with Anko, and risk getting beaten. " said Kakashi.

"Kakashi!" warned Kurenai.

"Sorry. But I choose staying in here with Anko." said Kakashi.

Anko couldn't believe this was happening. First, Kakashi barged into the bathroom and stared at her naked body. Then suddenly, staying in the room with her completely naked, became a perfectly acceptable option.

"I'm naked!" exclaimed Anko in disbelief.

"Why didn't you grab a towel when you came in here?" asked Kakashi.

"I thought they were in the bathroom! That's why I was just standing there when you barged in! I realized that there were no towels in the bathroom!" exclaimed Anko.

She couldn't believe they were still talking about this. She was completely naked, barely censored by her hands and arms. Yet he was looking right at her, talking to her casually.

"Oh that makes sense... You look really hot with your hair down." said Kakashi off-handedly.

Anko's body began blushing a light shade of red.

"W-What? W-Why would you say... I'm soaking wet! I'm naked! Why haven't you left?" exclaimed Anko.

"If I leave this room, Kurenai will more than likely catch me in a Genjutsu. I can't leave." said Kakashi.

"I'M STILL NAKED!" shouted Anko incredulously.

"Here." said Kakashi.

He threw her his Jounin vest.

"That should cover you nicely." said Kakashi.

Anko caught the vest, but realized that by catching the vest, she let Kakashi see her breasts.

She immediately put the vest on to cover herself, then she put both hands over her private area.

"What about my crotch?" exclaimed Anko.

"..."

Kakashi just stood there, staring at her, like he was thinking.

"What?" exclaimed Anko in embarrassment.

"I was going to say something in response, but I decided not to... sexual harassment charges considered." said Kakashi thoughtfully.

Anko blushed redder than ever.

"What happened to the clothes you were wearing when you came in here?" asked Kakashi.

"I... accidentally wore them into the shower." mumbled Anko.

"..."

Kakashi looked behind her into the tub and noticed them hanging on the side.

_'She put on her clothes over her pajamas and took a shower?'_ thought Kakashi.

"Haha. That's funny." said Kakashi with a smile.

"No it isn't! Because of that, I'm stuck in a room with you, mostly naked!" complained Anko.

"Well, I'd suggest how to pass the time, but sexual harassment charges considered..." began Kakashi.

"I get it! geez..." muttered Anko with a blush.

She was extremely uncomfortable. Her hands over her crotch, and only a loose vest was covering her breasts. If Kakashi wanted to, he could easily have his way with her. She knew he wouldn't do that. She did trust him, but it was hard not to be anxious when he kept ogling her wet and nearly naked body.

"Stop staring..." muttered Anko with a blush.

"I told you before that I can't. Believe me when I say I've tried." said Kakashi simply.

Anko didn't know why she felt the way she felt in that moment. She didn't know why she wasn't furious with him right now. Everything she had ever been taught about how to react in a situation like this, was flying out the window. Under Kakashi's gaze, she was excited that he was watching her. She was actually enjoying this. The biggest excitement she was getting was being naked in the same room as Kakashi. What made it worse was that she already had a piece of his clothes off, and that it was against her bare breasts. This was insane. She had never gotten so turned on, so quickly, in her entire life. She was still having trouble believing it was happening. God, if Kakashi called her hot again, she was going to lose it.

(BAM!)

Kurenai suddenly kicked the door down, and was now standing on it.

"Ah-Ha!" exclaimed Kurenai victoriously.

"Kurenai! Anko is naked!" exclaimed Kakashi.

Kakashi rushed over to Anko, and stood in front of her, his arms outstretched as to block her from view.

Kurenai didn't know how to react.

"What does this get you off or something?" exclaimed Kakashi in disbelief.

Kurenai was now stammering in complete shock.

"Wha? N-NO! Y-You-I..." began Kurenai.

"Don't just stand there! Get out of here you pervert!" exclaimed Kakashi.

The last thing Kakashi said had scared her from her shock like an electric jolt. She jumped off the door, and dashed out of the room.

As soon as she left, Kakashi quickly went over to the door, propped it up, and put it back in what was left of its hinges.

"There. In a few minutes, she will probably realize that was all a clever act to make her leave without confronting me about Hinata. She will be back, and she will probably be even more angry." said Kakashi.

Suddenly Kakashi felt a wet body pushed up against his back.

"A-Anko? What are you doing?" asked Kakashi.

Anko's breathing was labored, she was soaking wet, and she was getting hotter by the second.

"I... I have an idea. I know how to get Kurenai to stay out." breathed Anko sensually.

Kakashi knew the difference between a woman faking that she was turned on, and a woman that actually was. Based on what Kakashi could tell, Anko was about to start a fire from the heat between her legs.

"Anko wait. You're about to make a decision. If you decide to do what I think you're going to suggest we do... I doubt I'll be able to hold back. I'm that kind of lover." warned Kakashi.

He was trying to stay calm, but with Anko's wet and hot body was pressed up against back. He was having a hard time of it.

Anko purred in response to what he said, and began rubbed herself against his hip.

(Perv)(perv)(perv)

"Why can't you hold back? Mmmm... Have you been saving up?" asked Anko sensually.

"You're passing the point of no return Anko..." warned Kakashi with a blush.

(hump)(hump)(hump)

"Do you find me... attractive? Kakashi?" whispered Anko.

Her demeanor had changed a little. She had become a little less sure of herself in that moment. But Kakashi could see that she wasn't going to turn back. This was going to happen.

"Yes. I have for a long time now. You are beautiful, yet bluntly sexy. You act playfully, yet you are independent and stunning. You are extremely attractive Anko." said Kakashi.

Anko stopped rubbing against him to let all of her blood go to her face once again.

"W-what did you say?" asked Anko in surprise.

"You were humping me a few seconds ago, and now you're suddenly skittish?" asked Kakashi.

"Th-that's not what I... Um, I mean..." stammered Anko.

_'What's with this? I compliment her, and she suddenly looses her nerve? She is usually so on top of things in combat. For her to be acting skittish is completely out of character.'_ thought Kakashi.

"What's wrong Anko? Are you afraid of what people will think when they know you've slept with the famously pervy Kakashi Hatake?" asked Kakashi.

Kakashi was playing this smart. The more he uprooted her insecurities, the farther away he got from her random sex.

_'I don't like it that she suddenly jumped me sexually. What's is her angle? Why would she suddenly show interest when she never did before? Either way, I don't want her to do this.'_ thought Kakashi.

Kakashi's suspicions may have been misplaced, but he only had one plan in mind. To stop Anko. He didn't want her to make a decision she might later regret, no matter what she might be planning.

"As soon as people know, they'll call you a slut. A whore. Just another woman Kakashi Hatake banged. Do you really want that?" asked Kakashi.

Anko backed away from Kakashi, and covered herself again.

"Th-that can't... Is that..." began Anko.

She couldn't believe what he was saying. Were his sexual partners really looked upon like that? Why was he saying such things? Especially after telling her how attractive she was.

"Anko, I don't want you to make a bad decision. That's all I'm trying to say. Think about this long and hard before you finally act on it. Because when you do make that decision, it might just change everything." said Kakashi.

Anko's eyes widened and she froze. What he said. What Kakashi said was familiar. She didn't know how, but it was so familiar it was scary. She was trying to piece together where she had heard that from, but suddenly, the answer came rushing back to her in a force her mind couldn't handle. She grabbed her head and squeezed it hard. She felt a tingle in her brain, and suddenly her world went white.

"Aaahhhh!" screamed Anko.

"Anko?" exclaimed Kakashi.

She fell to her knees and bent over onto them. Her body was cringing in pain.

Suddenly, the pain stopped.

She opened her eyes, but she didn't see her naked legs. She saw her normal skirt and mesh. This perplexed her, she was naked a second ago. What perplexed her more, was that her clothes seemed bigger. No. Her legs were thinner... smaller. She was sitting in grass, she felt the sunlight beating down on her. How was she suddenly outside, and why did she feel so different?

Before she could piece together what was happening, a hand reached down into her sight. The mere sight of the hand caused her whole body to freeze in reaction. The hand was paper white.

She spun, slapping it away while reaching for her kunai.

It wasn't there.

She completed her spin, and jumped back, getting a full view of who she feared was standing in front of her.

"Anko. Relax."

The silky smooth drawl of his voice sent chills down her spine. His voice brought her nothing but fear and anger from her memories, at least from the ones she could remember. Before she could react, he spoke again.

"I brought you out here for a reason. This is very important Anko, so I need you to be a little less rambunctious than usual."

He brought her out here? This had to be a trap. The man she knew standing before her was a traitor. A killer. A deceiver. She wouldn't fall for any of his tricks.

He pulled out a small case in his hands. She didn't recognize the case itself, but when he opened it, she couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"This has been handed down in my family for an uncounted amount of generations, so I don't know how old it is. My great grandfather gave it to my grandfather when he turned 18... When it became the right time, my grandfather gave it to my father... And my father left it for me in his will. When he died, it became mine. I have no offspring, nor do I plan to have any. My clan will die with me... But you, I entrust you with this. It is special to me. I hope that maybe one day, this will become special to you as well."

Anko couldn't believe this. This couldn't be. She remembered this. This moment. Word for word, everything was the same. It was as if she was seeing her own memories played back to her. What perplexed her was that this memory seemed so familiar, yet so foreign. She didn't remember this memory until just now, now that it was shown to her. Now that she had seen it, it was all so obvious.

_'This was when he... He gave me my kunai...'_ thought Anko.

He knelt down to Anko's height, and rested the kunai in her hands.

"Everything has a purpose Anko. Think about this long and hard before you finally act on it. Because when you do make that decision, it might just change everything."

Suddenly Anko's vision blurred and twisted, her head throbbed, and she went numb.

Suddenly she could feel again, but the feelings were different. It felt like she was laying down.

"If you would just tell me now, I will make it easier on you." said a voice.

"It's not my information to give to you. I have no right to tell you. Ask her yourself when you get the chance." said another voice.

"I swear to God Kakashi, if something happened to her that... Anko! Can you hear me?" asked another voice.

Suddenly she saw a dark maroon ceiling, with Kurenai and Kakashi's faces hanging over her.

"Yeah... I can see you too." said Anko.

She sat up, noticing that she was back in their hotel room, and that she was clothed.

"You suddenly passed out. I checked you out, and your body seemed to be perfectly fine. No toxins in your blood, or damage to your head... Kurenai dressed you." said Kakashi.

"Yeah..." muttered Anko.

Anko subconsciously reached down to her right hip, a little surprised that her kunai was holstered there.

_'Sensei...'_ thought Anko.

"Hey Anko... You okay?" asked Kurenai.

"Yeah. Just a little dazed." said Anko promptly.

If she had said it any sooner, she would have cut Kurenai off.

"We should run a full diagnostics on your brain, and see if can come up with anyth-" began Kakashi.

"You've already tried that old man!" shouted Anko angrily.

Kakashi and Kurenai were taken aback. Anko had an angry look on her face, which was quickly replaced by one of surprise.

"Sorry..." muttered Anko.

Anko quickly jumped from the bed, and ran from the room.

"Anko wait!" exclaimed Kurenai.

Kurenai went to go after her, but Kakashi put a hand on her shoulder and held her back.

"Let her go. She needs to be alone." said Kakashi.

Kurenai hesitated for a moment, but reluctantly nodded in understanding, and sat back on the bed.

"Why did she call you an old man? You're only a year younger than me, and I'm not even 30 yet." asked Kurenai.

"She wasn't talking to me." said Kakashi simply.

Kurenai blinked in surprise.

"I became an ANBU when I was only 13, so I came in close contact with the Third Hokage at a young age." said Kakashi.

Kurenai didn't know where he was going with this, or how it answered her question. So she listened.

"Of all the time I spent with Hiruzen, there were only two people who ever got away with calling him old man." said Kakashi.

Kakashi seemed to be reminiscing about something. The look on his face was far-off, and his demeanor had become more soft. Although she didn't know what he was thinking about, she was starting to understand where he was going with this.

"Who were the two people?" asked Kurenai.

"Naruto... and Anko."said Kakashi.

* * *

The room was dim with the blinds shut, and that's exactly how Naruto wanted it.

The sleep that had him in its clutches was strong and defiant. He felt complete content surrounding his every nerve. He could feel Hinata's warm embrace, and her head tucked into his chest. While he slept with her, he felt complete peace.

Suddenly he felt something foreign. Eyes. Two eyes. Watching him, observing him, waiting for him. Spying on him? He didn't like it. He knew that this obtrusion into his and Hinata's comfort zone was unwelcome. He would deal with this obtrusion immediately. He opened his eyes to see Itachi laying on his chest. His eyes were open and watching him intently. His shiny black fur seemed to somehow blend into the dim lighting. His bright red eyes however, made him stand out quite a bit. When Naruto awoke, Itachi only blinked once.

"Good Morning." said Itachi.

Naruto growled, and flung Itachi from the bed. Only barely hearing him land somewhere on the other side of the room.

He knew he couldn't get back to sleep now, not while knowing Itachi was watching him. As he got up from the bed, he felt a hand softly grasp his wrist. He looked down to see Hinata subconsciously holding onto him, almost as if she was saying she didn't want him to go.

"Sorry Hinata, but I can't sleep now." said Naruto softly.

He stood up from the bed, and thoroughly tucked Hinata in.

"But that doesn't mean you can't get some more rest yourself." said Naruto with a smile.

Naruto walked away from the bed, stretching as he walked. He noticed a pitter-pattering of small furry feet following closely behind him. He decided not to pay Itachi any mind. He walked over to the coat-rack near the door, and picked up his bag from the floor. He reached inside the bag, and pulled out his weapons pouch.

He noticed that when he picked it up, it was significantly heavier on one side. He wondered why he had not noticed this earlier. He opened up the heavy side of the pouch, and spilled its contents onto the floor. Four things fell out of the pouch, and all of them were scrolls. He assumed these were items he had forgotten somehow. He determined that his forgetfulness was justified on the grounds that a lot had happened to him quite recently. He picked up the first scroll, and noted the green color and smooth pattern on the outside edges.

_'Baa-chan.'_ thought Naruto.

He remembered when he got this scroll. Tsunade had given him this scroll shortly after Hinata had a... run in with Daishi. He gripped his hands into fists for a moment, anger rising up in him, even after all of this time. Putting his emotions aside, he broke the seal, and unrolled the scroll.

_Naruto,_

_I know that Hinata has gone through some very tough times recently, and she is about to go through quite a few more. I've already told you of Hinata's tenant. I figure with how close you two are getting, you should be the one to tell her, especially since you know more about being a Jinchuriki than I do._

_Getting that out of the way, you should know about Hinata's current mental state. I would tell you what it's classified as, but I know you'll shortly forget it anyway. What you need to do is simple. Just keep your distance from her. If she opens up, get close to her. Let her know that you're there, but ask her for permission before you touch her in any way, even if it's just holding her hand. Once she fully opens back up again, she will be fine around you. Just remember, take things slow, and everything will fall back into place._

_I know you'll always strive to do what is right,_

_Baa-chan_

Naruto smile at the signature at the bottom.

_'She signed it from Baa-chan.'_ thought Naruto with a smile.

He knew it was something Tsunade had done affectionately, and he wasn't going to take it for granted. She usually hated it when he called her that, or at least she made it appear so.

The information in the scroll itself was useless now, from a tactical standpoint. He had already told Hinata that she was a Jinchuriki. But what the letter did, was remind him of how much Tsunade cared for him, and how much Hinata cared for him. He hadn't really realized it until now, but Hinata had almost completely gotten over what had happened to her. She was very open around him, and she didn't seem to have any more hesitation towards his affection.

Naruto glanced over to the bed, seeing that Hinata was still turned the other way. He was glad to know that she was getting some rest. She looked so peaceful while she slept. Naruto took Tsunade's scroll in hand, and put it back in his pouch. There wasn't really any reason for him to keep it, but sentimentally, it held some value to him. He turned his attention back to the three remaining scrolls. One was orange on the edges, one was gold on the edges, and the other looked as though it had an icy mountainous landscape pattern on the edges. The pattern itself intrigued him, but struck a cord in his memory.

"Please, wait until you are in a private location before you read this letter, it is very important..." muttered Naruto to himself.

He didn't really know why those words came to mind, but they did.

"Did you say something?" asked Itachi.

For the first time, Naruto noticed that Itachi was sitting beside him. Itachi wasn't really watching what he was doing. He was really just staring at the wall in front of him, seemingly thinking about something.

"Nothing I wanted you to hear." replied Naruto dryly.

"Fine. If you're going to be so rude, I guess I'll just go back to bed." said Itachi casually.

"You go anywhere near Hinata, and I'm going to lose to my temper very quickly." warned Naruto.

"I'll keep that in mind..." muttered Itachi.

Itachi walked across the room to the dresser, and pawed at the bottom drawer until it opened. He jumped into it, and didn't make another move.

_'So that's where he slept last night... He better not get fur on my pants.'_ thought Naruto.

Turning his attention back to the scroll, he began reading from the top.

_To Lord Uzumaki, Rokudaime of the Village Hidden in the Leaves..._

_I am sorry to bother you. I don't know if this is a good time for you or not, so I will try to keep this short and simple. Around three years ago, our country was in turmoil. The balance of power was flailing wildly back and forth, and nobody could tell for sure what would become of us. Not long after the balance of power went awry, a military coup ensued. It wasn't long before our entire government was ruled by our own military, and our form of government was a cruel dictatorship. A few of our better citizens banded together, and began formulating a resistance plot. We didn't have enough resources to pull off our own counter-coup, so we called for assistance. Konoha answered with haste, and immediately sent us support. Many of the men involved in the resistance were disappointed when the Konoha support arrived. Our people didn't want to seem picky, especially in our situation at the time, but when we found out that Konoha had only sent one four-man squad, we were more than disappointed._

_But in the end, you pulled through for us. A single four-man squad helped save our entire country from tyranny. For that we are forever grateful. Aside from paying you the dues from the mission itself, we have not been able to repay you for what your country has done for ours. Well... until now. Over the last three years, I have taken it upon myself to build my country into something great, something good. I looked at your country, and how it worked. Your country is based off of a system that works like a democratic monarchy. Your people vote on laws and regulations. Your Daimyo handles economic affairs, while your Hokage(you) handles all military and peace affairs. We sought to copy this form of government the best we could, but we didn't have near enough people for it to work. We began recruiting unwanted Shinobi from other countries, giving them promises of good work, a steady pay, and a roof over their heads. _

_It has now gotten to a point, where we can call ourselves our own independent country, with our own Hidden Village. I would like to openly invite you to a festival and banquet in your honor, to be held in our own hidden village. But our dignitaries and elders have gone out of their way to say it is a bad idea to converge on such an early term... Despite what my paranoid associates say against it, I am now officially inviting you to our home, Koorigakure. Quite honestly, you can show up whenever it is convenient for you. When you do arrive, we would like to have a good time, and discuss the arrangements of our alliance._

_Forever grateful,_

_Hyorinkage of the Land of Snow_

Naruto read through the paper several times just to be sure he read it correctly. He had been mistaken as the current Hokage of the Land of Fire.

_'It isn't too unexpected, considering what I pulled behind Tsunade's back...'_ thought Naruto.

That thought brought a sudden realization to his mind.

_'The Gold scroll... It contains that huge peace treaty...'_ thought Naruto in surprise.

He had formed new alliances with the Mizukage, Kazekage, and Raikage. All of this took place behind Tsunade's back.

He picked up the scroll in his hands, reminding himself how powerful the text contained in the seal was.

_'The treaties have yet to be finalized, but in order for them to be finalized, they will have to go through the entire council.'_ thought Naruto.

The problem with that, was that the council would only accept treaties from either the Fire Daimyo, or the current Hokage, and he was neither.

_'I guess I will have to figure this out eventually...'_ thought Naruto.

He had more on his mind anyway. He now had to show up as the Rokudaime, and enact a treaty with the Land of Snow. There was a lot of complicated things involved with this endeavor, but most of all, he had to do it cautiously. If he wanted to be the Hokage one day, he might as well get some experience in now while he could.

_'I should show this invitation to Kakashi right away.'_ thought Naruto.

Before he got up, he noticed there was still one scroll left to read. He didn't want to put it aside and forget about it again, so he decided to read it now to get it out of the way.

It had orange around the edges, and when he saw the signature on the top, he knew who it was from.

_'Ero-Sennin...'_ thought Naruto.

He actually remembered getting this scroll.

(Flashback)

"He he... Alright Naruto. Now then, In light of recent events, I think it's time I gave you this." said Jiraiya.

Jiraiya pulled out a sealed scroll and handed it to him.

"Read it later, you will thank me." said Jiraiya.

(End Flashback)

_'I will thank him? Jiraiya gave this scroll to me just after... Just after he told me that I loved Hinata...' _thought Naruto.

Such feelings of love were completely obvious to him now. Looking back, he felt extremely foolish for not realizing it sooner.

Naruto was curious as to what was in the scroll. When Jiraiya had given it to him, surprisingly his intent seemed genuinely non-pervy. Naruto broke the seal on the scroll, and opened it, reading it from the top.

_~~Jiraiya's Romance Essentials~~_

_1. With love comes romance, and with romance comes sex. If you don't want to have children just now, you will need to protect your lover's egg. The seal below will do the trick._

Below that sentence, was a seal imprinted into the paper of the scroll, and below it were directions.

_Step 1. Using standard chakra-infused ink, paint an exact copy of this seal on the abdomen of your lover. The center of the seal should encircle her bellybutton._

_Step 2. Once the seal is absorbed into her skin, apply blood across the center of the seal._

_Step 3. Activate the seal, by applying your chakra to it_.

Naruto blushed deeply at this.

_'Birth control?'_ thought Naruto nervously.

He hadn't even considered that approaching Hinata about sex was an option. She was so innocent, so cute. It was hard to imagine himself asking Hinata for something like that. But then again, he already had a few run-ins of a sexual nature with Hinata. None of them ended with them having sex, but the mere thought that sex could happen between them caused blood to rush to more than one place in Naruto's body.

_'Got to calm down... No need to over-think this. We're together, and we're happy. Simple as that. If she wants to have sex, that will be it. Until she makes the decision, there's no need to dwell on it.'_ thought Naruto.

The more Naruto tried to put it out of his mind, the more it seemed to crawl right back. Images of what Hinata might look like completely naked kept popping up in his mind. Her bare skin against his, her soft lips against his, her beautiful eyes looking back at him hungrily.

He shook his head. He was better than this. He knew better. He knew he could control his own emotions. If he couldn't, the Kyuubi would be as good as free.

He picked up the scroll again, and looked down past the birth-control seal.

_Once your lover is ready for sex, you should know how to please her. Located in the Containment seal below is a very important book. It is absolutely necessary to memorize it. If you don't, do you really care for your lover?_

Naruto was a little taken aback at the jab at how much he might love Hinata, but after reading how it emphasized how important it was to memorize the book, he saw no choice but to activate the containment seal.

Naruto put the scroll down on the ground, and bit his thumb. He spread the blood across the center of the seal, and sent his chakra through it. In a small puff of smoke, a thick fully-binded book appeared before him. The book itself had a cover, but the cover had no words on it, only a heart symbol. Naruto opened up the book to the first page, to find the index.

**_Chapter 1: Heating her up._**

_Section 1: Foreplay_

_Section 2: _Playfulness

_Section 3: _Role-playing

_Section 4: _Body Hot-spots

**_Chapter 2: Eating her Out._**

_Section 1: _Tongue Techniques

_Section 2: _Importance of the G-Spot

_Section 3: _Clitoris Sensitivity

_Section 4: _Finger Insertion

_Section 5: _Multi-tasking

**_Chapter 3: Tearing it up._**

_Section 0: Taking a Virgin_

_Section 1: _Soft Sex vs. Rough Sex

_Section 2: _Prostate Stimulation

_Section 3: _Lip-Locking

_____Section 4: _1000 Sexual Positions  


___Section 5: I_dentifying Kinks

Naruto had read far enough down the index to know exactly what this book was about. With a heavy blush, he opened the book to Chapter One.

_'Body Hot-spots...'_ thought Naruto.

He already knew that Hinata had a hot-spot on her lower back, but that was about it.

_'Jiraiya was right... This may be perverted... But it will help me please Hinata. Whether I want to do this or not, I need to... for Hinata.'_ thought Naruto.

"What are you reading?" asked Hinata.

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Nothing!" shouted Naruto in surprise.

Naruto quickly stood up, spun around, and put the book behind his back.

Hinata blinked at his outburst. She had been relatively close to Naruto when she had asked the question, so she had jumped back a few feet in surprise. She was in her loose Lavender pajamas and sweatpants. It wasn't anything she was embarrassed to be seen in... well at least with Naruto. She he may have just woken up, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that Naruto was hiding something. She decided to approach this compassionately.

"I... It's okay Naruto. R-remember, you can share anything with me. I-I love you." said Hinata softly.

Hearing Hinata say that made his heart clench with guilt. He never should have hesitated to share something with Hinata. She had more compassion and understanding than most people had in one pinky finger. But this was different. This was a subject they were both shy on, and he knew that Hinata would probably not react positively to this. It was a little too early in their relationship for Naruto to approach her about sex anyway. So, Naruto had to tell the truth, just not all of it.

"(Sigh) Hinata, I'm trying to study something. It's not something I want you to know about... At least not yet. Just trust me, when I know that the time is right, I'll let you see what I'm studying." said Naruto.

Hinata paused for a moment, as though she was thinking about what he said.

"O-Oh, Okay... I was just... hoping that you would share everything with me..." said Hinata sadly.

"Hinata, it's not that I don't want to share everything with you... It's just that this particular thing... Needs to be told only after a certain time." explained Naruto.

"H-how l-long of a time?" asked Hinata quietly.

Naruto could see that keeping secrets from her was making her insecure. She was starting to stutter a lot more than usual.

"It all really depends on you..." said Naruto.

Hinata blinked in surprise.

_'On me? Have I not been doing something right?'_ thought Hinata worriedly.

"I-It depends on me? W-Why? What do I n-need to do?" asked Hinata.

Naruto could see that the more vague he was being, the more insecure and nervous she became. He closed the gap between them, and gave Hinata a tight hug, holding the book against her back.

"Don't worry Hinata. When the time comes, you'll understand. This is not something I want to rush..." said Naruto reassuringly.

Despite his insistent reassuring, Hinata still looked uneasy.

"Don't you trust me?" asked Naruto quietly.

Hinata bit her lower lip, and returned Naruto's embrace.

"Of course I do... You should never question my trust for you..." whispered Hinata softly.

Naruto smiled and tilted his head back to look at her face.

"Thank you, Hinata-chan." whispered Naruto.

Hinata blinked.

"For what Naruto-kun?" asked Hinata.

"Everything." said Naruto with a warm smile.

The moment was heart-felt, and the embrace felt mind-tinglingly wonderful. But he knew there was a few things he needed to be doing, especially after reading the Hyorinkage's scroll.

"I have a feeling we are going to be doing a lot today. We should get ready." said Naruto.

Hinata hesitantly backed away from Naruto, but nodded to what he said. She walked away from him, towards the dresser.

_'Time to hide this book...'_ thought Naruto.

He knew that Hinata wouldn't look through his stuff without permission, so he simply put it in his pack.

"Eeeek!" squealed Hinata in surprise.

Naruto immediately spun around to see that Hinata had jumped away from the dresser, and was pointing at it.

"T-There's something f-furry in my pants!" exclaimed Hinata in shock.

Naruto almost laughed, but he didn't want to at her expense.

"Itachi. If I ever have to say this again, I will kill you shortly after saying it the second time. Get out of Hinata's pants." said Naruto.

Slowly but surely, Itachi's head popped out of the dresser, eying both Naruto and Hinata before slowly slinking out.

"I suppose you're the only one she'll ever let in her pants anyway." said Itachi boredly.

Hinata blushed deeply, and Naruto followed suit.

Itachi didn't bother seeing their reactions, and jumped up onto the bed.

"If no one is going to use this, I'm going to take a nap." said Itachi.

Itachi stood in the center of the bed, spun around several times, curled up, and closed his eyes.

Hinata was still preoccupying her mind with thoughts of Naruto in her pants, but Naruto knew he had important things to do.

"Do you want to take a shower Hinata?" asked Naruto.

Hinata's entire face turned a glowing red as her eyes widened in surprise.

"W-w-with y-you?" exclaimed Hinata in shock.

Naruto wasn't expecting that. He blushed in embarrassment of the idea, and rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Well... Um... If you wanted to... I Um... I suppose I wouldn't be against it..." said Naruto nervously.

Hinata blushed even more red if that was possible.

"I d-d-d-d-don't th-th-think I c-could..." stammered Hinata with her eyes squeezed shut.

Naruto could see the sexual embarrassment making her skin glow an interestingly erotic shade of red. The fact that she said no to the idea didn't surprise him in the least. He was expecting her to say no. The thing that surprised him, was that she had actually taken time to consider it. For a second or two, it looked as though she was going to say yes.

"Then we won't. It's your call Hinata. Besides, when I asked you if you wanted to take a shower, I was just wondering if you wanted to take a shower first." said Naruto.

Hinata blushed, but now out of normal embarrassment for her mind to jump to such a drastic conclusion.

"I-I think you should take yours first. I'm still a bit tired." said Hinata nervously.

Naruto smiled, leaned in, and kissed her on the forehead.

She froze and didn't move.

"Alright then. Let me know if you need anything." said Naruto.

Naruto walked into the bathroom and shut the door, but Hinata didn't hear him lock it.

He trusted her so much, it made her heart beat just a little too fast.

_'Naruto-kun...'_ swooned Hinata.

Once she heard the shower turn on, her head cleared a bit more, and Naruto's secret popped into her head.

_'What is he keeping from me? Why is he keeping anything from me? Is it really bad? Does he think I won't like it?'_ thought Hinata.

Hinata knew everyone had a dark side, and she had seen Naruto's only a few times. But she knew Naruto would never have such a terrible secret. It had to be something he was just being overprotective about.

_'He must think that I'm not ready to see what's in that thick book...'_ thought Hinata.

Hinata glanced at Naruto's bag across the room, knowing the book was in there, unprotected. All she had to do was walk over and read it while Naruto was in the shower.

_'No! Naruto asked me to trust him! He told me he'd show me when the time is right! I just have to be patient...'_ thought Hinata.

She turned around on her heel decisively, and looked the other way. She now faced the windows on the other side of the bed. The window shades were drawn shut, so it didn't provide her with that distraction she was looking for. She looked towards the bed. Itachi was sleeping quietly on the center, his chest rising and dropping ever so slightly. This wasn't working, she couldn't keep her mind off of Naruto's secret. Back when she followed Naruto around the village, she would always try her hardest to know the most she could about him. When she got the chance to know something, she jumped at it. But now she and Naruto were together, and there was a potentially huge secret hanging over her head. A few seconds passed before the tension in Hinata's mind exploded.

She suddenly dashed across the room, slid across the floor, and flung open the bag to see the thick book Naruto was hiding from her. What surprised her was that it had a heart on the cover.

_'A heart? Maybe it's a guy's diary... A journal...'_ thought Hinata.

Now she was having second thoughts. If it was Naruto's journal, she would be looking into Naruto's most private thoughts. She would feel terrible for trespassing on Naruto's privacy without permission.

_'But if it's his journal, then why was he in such a rush to hide it from my sight? Why not just tell me that it was his private journal? He would know that I would understand...'_ thought Hinata.

Now her suspicion was intensified ten-fold. She immediately felt terrible for feeling suspicious about Naruto, but she couldn't help it.

_'If Naruto had a terrible injury, and didn't want me to worry, he would hide it from me the best he could... even if he was in unbearable amounts of pain...' _thought Hinata.

If it was something that Naruto didn't want her to worry about, then it was something she wanted to know about immediately. She didn't want him to suffer, she wanted him to tell her everything, to let her help heal his wounds, mental and physical. If that's what this book was, then she couldn't stop herself from reading it, even if she wanted to.

_'I'm here for you Naruto-kun, all for you. I love you. You have to trust me... I'll love you no matter what is in this book...'_ thought Hinata in determination.

She took a deep breath, and opened the book to the first page and saw the index of the book.

Her face turned stark red when she read the titles and sub-sections of the chapters.

_'Th... th-this is...'_ thought Hinata in shock.

She was in complete shock. This was the last thing she was expecting.

_'S-sex? He wants to have sex?'_ thought Hinata in shock.

He had told her a hundred times that she was beautiful and cute, but she still didn't think she was very attractive.

_'N-Naruto-kun... finds me attractive?'_ thought Hinata with a rising deep blush.

Naruto had said that he was studying something. This was it? Naruto was willing to actually study this entire book in order to learn how to please her._ Just_ to please her.

Her heart started beating faster, blood rushed to her face, and adrenaline had her thinking faster than she wanted to.

_'If... if Naruto wants to have sex with me... And is learning about it... Then I need to learn about it as well.'_ thought Hinata with a blush.

She began skimming through the book, finding random detailed diagrams that made her flush in immediate embarrassment. Finally, she discovered that the book had two different sections. Chapters 1-10 were "For Men", and Chapters 11-17 were "For Women". She was extremely hesitant about this entire thing. For God's sake her hands were already sweating profusely.

_'This is actually exciting... reading such naughty things.'_ thought Hinata in excitement.

She turned to chapter 11, and blushed at the title of the chapter.

"F-Fellatio..." stammered Hinata.

She knew that men enjoyed this very much. She wasn't dumb, she heard men and woman talk about it discreetly all around the village.

The first thing the book talked about, was practicing.

_To practice Fellatio, it is most effective to use a "dummy" penis in order to get your mind used to the idea of it, and your body used to the feeling of it. For example, an object such a banana or large pickle should work just fine._

"..."

_'I need to find a banana...'_ thought Hinata with a blush.

Naruto stepped out of the shower, and dried his hair by shaking it wildly. Immediately after he got rid of most of the moisture, it popped right into it's usual spiky form, his foxxy ears standing straight up as if at attention.

Then he prepared himself to use a jutsu. Naruto didn't have to form hand-signs to use this jutsu. He used it quite often when he had no towels. Naruto concentrated, and let his chakra flow from all the tenketsu in his body. He let it spread all around him, touching every bit of his body. Then he made the chakra move back and forth. He made it move faster and faster until it was like the chakra was almost vibrating. The chakra began to exude heat, which dried Naruto very quickly. Naruto dropped the jutsu, and walked over to the clothes he had grabbed before walking in. He put on his boxers, slid on his pants, and put on his black shirt. Then he saw his hat, sitting there on the sink. He thought about it for a moment. He didn't like wearing hats, he didn't like it at all. Then again, he didn't like people gawking at him either. Granted, Naruto was used to ignoring stares/glares from people, but he would avoid it as best as possible if he could.

_'That's it! I'm putting my foot down! No more hiding it. If people think it's weird, I don't care! I am who I am.'_ thought Naruto in determination.

Naruto took the cap, and threw it into the waste bin below the sink. His ears were perking up, and he knew it felt good to have them in the fresh air. But he noticed that his ears were still wet. He wasn't used to using that jutsu with his new ears, and as a result, the short fur on the outsides of his ears were still a little wet.

_'Oh well, I'll let them air-dry...'_ thought Naruto.

There was only one thing that was still bothering him. He saw Sakura's belt sitting on the floor near his shoes. He knew what he needed to use that for, but he had already made up his mind. He wouldn't throw away Sakura's belt, he could still give it back to her. But he wanted his tail to be free as well. He lifted up the seat of his pants, and picked up one of his kunai from the floor. He cut a slit in the back of his pants for his tail to fit through.

_'Alright. I've done this once before, so I can do it again.'_ thought Naruto.

He pushed his tail up against the hole he had made, and eventually forced it through, ruffling up his fur a bit.

_'Damn... I just got that fur looking nice...'_ thought Naruto.

He realized it was a weird thought to normal people, but he wasn't anywhere near normal.

He cupped the base of his tail with his hand, and ran his hand from the base to the very tip, flattening out his fur.

_'There we go, looking fresh and fine.' _thought Naruto humorously.

He picked up his equipment pouch, and strapped it to his leg, then he dropped his kunai into it.

He turned around and headed toward the door, feeling clean and free. His tail swung back and forth with each step, somehow making it a lot easier for him to balance his weight.

_'This tail makes even walking easier...' _thought Naruto.

He hadn't had his tail for long, and he knew he still had a lot to learn about using it correctly. Most of his time spent with his new tail, he had it hiding in his pants.

_'Well not anymore. As long as I'm okay with it, it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks.'_ thought Naruto.

He opened the bathroom door and began to hear strange noises coming from the main room.

"Hinata?" asked Naruto.

Suddenly Naruto heard gagging and coughing noises, and they were definitely from Hinata.

He rushed into the room to see if she was alright. Hinata was sitting on the bed, not facing him. She looked like she was having trouble breathing, and her voice sounded rasped.

_'Is she choking?'_ thought Naruto in fear.

He rushed over to her side to see if she was alright. Her cheeks were red, her eyes were tearing, and she was still catching her breathe.

"Hinata are you okay? You sounded like you were choking!" exclaimed Naruto in worry.

"I-I... I'm fine..." rasped Hinata with a deep blush.

Hinata was averting her eyes from his. She was embarrassed to look at him.

_'I was almost caught... And doing such an inappropriate thing!'_ thought Hinata with a blush.

"What happened?" asked Naruto worriedly.

"I-I was... Um... I was... t-trying to make water from the air th-then drink it... But I... guess it went down the wrong tube..." muttered Hinata quietly.

She hated lying, even when it was to cover up such an indecent thing. She especially hated lying to Naruto. As far as she knew, this was the first time she had ever lied to him. It made her feel terrible, but she knew she couldn't tell him... Now she knew how he felt when he tried to hide the book from her.

_'The book! Where is it?' _thought Hinata in a sudden panic.

It wasn't on the bed where she had left it. Did it fall onto the floor? No. She couldn't feel it with her feet.

_'Oh no! Naruto is going to know I dug into his personal things!'_ thought Hinata in despair.

"I've learned about forced condensation from Jiraiya, but why didn't you just use the sink in the kitchen?" asked Naruto.

"I... I wanted to get more practice in... That's all." murmured Hinata quietly.

Naruto could she that she was embarrassed that she had choked, so he let it drop.

"Alright then. Just as long as you're okay." said Naruto.

Naruto looked at her in a concerned matter as he walked over to his bag.

_'Oh no! He's going to his bag!'_ thought Hinata.

Naruto knelt down to open his bag, when he suddenly felt himself being thrown to the floor.

Hinata was on top of him, pinning him to the carpet. He couldn't read the look on her face, but it was extremely irrelevant at that point. All he could concentrate on now was Hinata's lips now sucking at his. Naruto was caught completely off guard. He had no idea what triggered this, and he knew for sure that Hinata had never kissed like this either. She was sucking at his lips, slipping her tongue in randomly, then returning to drinking his saliva. He wanted to object to this, it was most unusual for Hinata to do this without warning. It was completely out of her character. Out of her comfort zone. Naruto couldn't get this nagging feeling out of his mind that she wasn't kissing him, just to kiss him.

Hinata was having a hard time concentrating. She was trying to get to Naruto's bag, but she kept losing her mind in the kiss.

_'He's kissing back... Oh! His tongue...'_ thought Hinata hazily.

She didn't want to be caught, and she didn't want Naruto to be mad at her. She had to get to his bag.

_'But this kiss is SO good...'_ thought Hinata in ecstasy.

Naruto hands were beginning to travel to her lower back, rubbing up and down, sending mixed feelings of comfort and shivers at the same time. She was beginning to become butter in his hands, but her fear of being caught kept one of her hands moving behind her.

She finally got a hold of Naruto's bag, and was surprised when she felt a thick book within. She ran her hands on the cover, and recognized the heart-shaped symbol.

_'How is that... It's not possible... oh Naruto's tongue...'_ thought Hinata hazily.

The book was back in Naruto's bag. She didn't put it there. She knew she left it on the bed where she was... practicing.

_'The banana!'_ thought Hinata.

She had slid it under the bed at the last second as Naruto ran over to her. It was really the only loose end to tie up, but she couldn't get her mind on it. She was a bit preoccupied.

Naruto was running her hands up and down her back, earning cute little moans from her as his tongue danced with hers.

_'I love to hear her voice like that...'_ thought Naruto.

He suddenly grabbed Hinata's butt, lifted her up by it, and pinned her against the wall. In response Hinata let out her usual vocal reaction.

"Meep!" squeaked Hinata in surprise.

Naruto LOVED that sound. He loved to hear her squeak. It was so cute and innocent, it was special to him.

_'I have to make her squeak again...'_ thought Naruto.

With his hands on Hinata's butt, her face was glowing red. Her mouth was agape and her eyes were closed. Naruto didn't have any free hands, so he moved his mouth away from her's, and began licking her neck.

"(Giggle) N-N-Naruto!" squealed Hinata.

It was close to a squeak, but it just wasn't it. He had to get her to do it again.

Naruto leaned in, and sucked hard on her skin between her neck and her collarbone.

Suddenly, just then, Hinata made a noise that Naruto had never heard before. She made the most loud, sexual, and erotic squeal of ecstasy he had ever heard.

After she had squealed, they both froze. Naruto held his head back to look into Hinata's face. She was so lost in ecstasy that he almost didn't see the surprise that was in her expression. She had surprised both herself and Naruto when she had made such a loud noise. Naruto slowly let Hinata's feet touch the ground again, and she immediately held both her hands over her mouth in disbelief of herself. Both of their faces were red, and both of them were breathing heavily. Where the moment before was erotic, the moment now was awkward and embarrassing.

_'H-Hinata? Hinata made that noise?'_ thought Naruto disbelief.

He didn't think she was capable of making such an erotic sound.

Hinata on the other hand, was out of her mind when she made the sound. She didn't really hear it, all she knew was that she had cried out loudly.

Neither of them really knew what to say as they stared at each other's blushing faces.

_'Is... Is now a good time? Does Naruto want it now? He looks like he might, but I've barely studied...'_ thought Hinata hurriedly.

She wasn't ready for it. She knew she wasn't. She didn't want to almost go all the way, to only back down at the last second.

"N-Naruto... Um... I'm r-really sweaty now... And I'm getting r-really hot..." began Hinata nervously.

Naruto blushed at this. Was she going to say what he thought she was going to say?

"Hinata... You're so beautiful right now... Your blushing-red glistening skin... Your long shining hair, and your soft caring eyes... Hinata... It will be impossible for me to say no to anything you ask of me at this point... So if you want to do something... Be absolutely sure that you want to do it..." breathed Naruto.

Hinata's face flushed even more while her heart skipped a beat to his response.

"I... Um... I think..." began Hinata.

Hinata couldn't stop looking into his eyes. She would do anything for him. ANYTHING he wanted. But he was giving her the choice. He was holding himself back, all for her. She looked up at him, and like usual, he gave her the courage to say what she wanted to say.

She closed her eyes, and leaned in to embrace him. She rested her head against his shoulder, and held him dearly.

"I d-don't think I'm ready for... f-for that yet... I... I love you." whispered Hinata bashfully.

Naruto was disappointed at first. She had been the one to engage him eagerly, and get him riled up. Yet she backed down. He knew it was for the best. She stopped it before it went too far. If she wasn't ready for it, then he didn't want it.

"I love you too Hinata... so much." whispered Naruto in return.

He held her back just as dearly, and rubbed his hands up and down her back.

"I got you kind of sweaty, so you should probably take your shower now." said Naruto with a blush.

Hinata blushed deeply in embarrassment, realizing that he was right.

"Y-yeah..." stammered Hinata in agreement.

She turned to walk toward the bathroom, but jumped the rest of the way there when Naruto spanked her in the butt.

"Meep!" squeaked Hinata.

When she landed, she immediately spun around to look at Naruto in a completely-shocked blushing-red manner.

"Sorry. I couldn't resist after all that kissing. You have a really cute butt." said Naruto with a mischievous smile.

In response Hinata ducked into the bathroom and locked the door. The last expression on her face was pricelessly shocked.

Naruto chuckled at Hinata's timid normality, and sat down on the floor to meditate. He crossed his legs, took a deep breathe, and began clearing his mind.

_**"You loved that didn't you?"**_ asked Kyuubi.

Naruto frowned. This was not a good time to be getting taunts from his tenant.

_**"Come on, admit it already! When you pinned her against the wall, you were ready to fuck her brains out weren't you?"**_ taunted the Kyuubi.

"Kyuubi, don't say such things. You know how much I care for her, and how much I love her." said Naruto.

_**"What are you saying? What if she needed you to fuck her brains out? You wouldn't do it for her then?" **_asked Kyuubi.

Naruto blushed a deep red, grateful Hinata was not in the room to see his face.

_'Hinata isn't like that.'_ said Naruto.

_**"Oh really? Were you thinking that when she pinned you to the ground and began sucking your face off?"**_ asked Kyuubi.

Naruto's blush was intensifying. The memories were very fresh, easy for him to flash-back to. The more Kyuubi talked about her, the more he couldn't stop thinking about the_ naughty_ Hinata.

_'Kyuubi enough. I'm trying to calm myself down here, and you aren't helping.'_ complained Naruto.

_**"Calm yourself down? Ha! She gave you a hard-on that almost ripped your boxers! Admit it! You want to tap that sweet Hyuuga ass." **_taunted Kyuubi.

Naruto didn't respond this time. He was going to try to ignore him, for all it was worth anyway.

_**"The cold shoulder huh? Hinata's shoulder wasn't cold, you made sure of that. I love the sound she made when you sucked on it. Her squeal is what initially woke me up!"**_ laughed Kyuubi.

That last jab made something snap within Naruto.

"Kyuubi enough! I'm sick of you disrespecting Hinata like this! If you keep this up, I'm not going to take anything you say seriously ever again!" shouted Naruto angrily.

_**"Relax kit." **_warned Kyuubi.

"That's what I was trying to do! But you wouldn't let me! Just shut up and let me concentrate! It's hard enough to get Hinata out of my head without you going on about fucking her!" shouted Naruto.

Kyuubi realized that he had pushed Naruto a little too far. The joke was over, and Naruto had lost his temper. This concerned Kyuubi greatly. Usually Naruto had much more control than this. He could feel his chakra being taken at a much more rapid rate than usual. Naruto's anger was actually fueling the demonic chakra's leak rate.

_**"I'm sorry kit. Alright? I'm sorry. Now calm down, and tell your mate that you're alright."**_ said Kyuubi carefully.

Naruto was about to yell at him again for calling Hinata his mate, which to him was another insinuation that they were active in sex. But Kyuubi had said that he needed to tell Hinata he was alright. That brought his attention to another presence in the room.

He turned around to see Hinata barely peeking out from the bathroom door. From what he could see, she was soaking set, and her hair was dripping. It looked like she had jumped out of the shower while it was running. In fact, he could still hear it running.

"N-Naruto-kun... I heard you shouting... Are you alright?" asked Hinata meekly.

Naruto could see she was worried about him. The last thing he wanted was for her to be worried.

"It's alright, I'm fine. Kyuubi just made me lose my temper. It shouldn't have happened." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata heard him, in fact she had heard everything he had shouted as well.

"W-when I get done with my shower.. I want to talk about... what you were shouting about." said Hinata meekly.

Hinata closed the door, and left Naruto in a state of surprise.

_'She heard what I was yelling about... Oh no...'_ thought Naruto in despair.

In Naruto's mind, things had just taken a turn for the worst. If Hinata had heard him, then she heard him yell about thoughts of fucking her. He could explain to her what had happened, which would be extremely difficult for him.

The topic of sex was unavoidable now. He didn't really want Hinata to know he had such dirty thoughts about her. He wanted her to know that he was with her, to be with her, not to get with her.

_'Sex is something I want with Hinata... But it isn't why I love her, it isn't why I want to be with her...'_ thought Naruto.

Naruto was paranoid that Hinata might think he only wanted sex from her. It was a male stereotype that was often proved true, so he kinda felt justified in thinking it. A few minutes went by, and he heard the shower turn off. He could hear her moving around, getting herself presentable. As he listened to her from the main room, he tried to think about what he should say to her. It was hard for him to think of exact words.

_'Damn... When I need advice the most... Kyuubi shuts up.' _thought Naruto in irritation.

Hinata slowly walked out of the bathroom. She had a look on her face that told him she didn't like what she had heard him yell. She looked hurt, emotionally.

"Naruto... I... I know you love me... I know that as an absolute truth... but..." began Hinata nervously.

"What do you want... from this relationship?" asked Hinata quietly.

That was a question he was sort of expecting. But he didn't really have anything prepared to say in response.

"You... Hinata-chan..." said Naruto nervously.

He didn't like the mood of the conversation. It was the kind of mood-set where two people would break up with each other. That was the absolute last thing he wanted.

His answer didn't change Hinata's mood, nor the sad expression on her face. She was still staring at the ground in front of her, not even looking him in the eyes.

"What of me... Do you want?" asked Hinata.

That question, threw Naruto completely off balance.

"I... That... is hard to answer." said Naruto.

Hinata seemed to sink lower somehow, even though she didn't move.

"Why?" asked Hinata very quietly.

The answer to that question seemed too complicated for him to sum up, even if it was a one-word question.

Hinata's expression noticeably saddened when her question was met with silence.

"You want to have sex with me... I could see it in your eyes." said Hinata quietly.

Naruto was shocked that she had said that. He didn't know what to say in response.

Hinata didn't want to be in a relationship with Naruto, just for sex. The way things had been going, the way Naruto cuddled up to her, and did everything she said, made her fear that he might be doing it all, just to get her in bed. She knew in her heart that Naruto would never do that to her, and that she was just being ridiculously paranoid. But a dreading fear in the back of her head reminded her that he was a man. And she knew what men wanted. But that wasn't the only reason she was saying what she was saying to Naruto. She had no intention of breaking up with Naruto. Absolutely none.

"If that is what you want this relationship for... I... I can't be with you..." whispered Hinata.

Without meaning to, tears started building up in Hinata's eyes. She may have had no intention of breaking up with Naruto, but talking about it was still upsetting her. The saddened expression on her face tore at Naruto's heart.

Naruto stood up and took a step towards her.

"Hinata! That's not.." began Naruto.

When he took a step towards her, she backed up drastically, to the other side of the bed. Her timid side was showing again. She felt insecure right now, and even Naruto had startled Hinata in her state.

Naruto froze. She was scared of his approach. She had no idea how much pain she had just caused him by backing away like that.

"H-Hinata please... I love you..." said Naruto fearfully.

Fears from the back of his mind were now in the front, tormenting him. Fears of Hinata leaving him, of anyone leaving him, were always in the back of his mind. When he was young, he had nobody. He couldn't trust anyone. People even tried to kill him several times for what he was. Once he finally met people he could trust, like Iruka and his fellow classmates, his biggest fear was that they would abandon him. They would abandon him, because they feared him. They would leave him all alone again. Even after all this time, those thoughts still lingered, and Hinata had just brought them out in the open again.

Hinata's tears finally poured from her eyes, she was trying to put up a brave face, but it didn't work. She just wanted to hear him say that he didn't want to be with her for the sex. But in her attempt to get him to say it, she realized how insecure she was about Naruto. She trusted him to a fault, and trusted him with her life... Yet she couldn't trust him now? She couldn't trust him to love her for her, and not for sex? There was something deep-rooted in Hinata's mind that opened up her insecurities. In her life, everything good that had come along, was usually taken from her, or forbidden by her father. Having Naruto with her like he was, even after all this time... She had to admit, it all still seemed so surreal. It seemed like something that was usually taken away from her. And she couldn't bare it if Naruto was suddenly gone from her life.

"I l-love you too... s-so much th-that my heart is being torn right now!" cried Hinata in tears.

She could see she was hurting him, and it was absolutely tearing at her heart. She felt cruel, and she felt heartless. She was so selfish for trying to manipulate him, just for him to say a few words. The tears in her eyes were painfully real.

While Hinata was conflicted with herself, Naruto still thought that Hinata was going to break up with him. The realization of where this was heading was shaking Naruto to his core and even deeper. The fear from deep in his heart rose up, and threatened to choke him.

"Please Hinata... Don't leave me... Don't leave me alone again..." whispered Naruto through his tears.

That immediately caught Hinata's attention. She knew how it was for him when he was growing up. She knew what it was like to be alone. Those words hit her hard, because she realized what was behind them.

"P-please Hinata... I love you so much... I don't c-care if we never have sex, d-don't you get it? I need you... I love you..." choked Naruto.

A few moments passed as Hinata absorbed his words, his tears, and the anguish in his eyes.

"N-never? Y-you would never have s-sex? For m-me?" asked Hinata in disbelief.

"Of course! God damn it Hinata! Don't you know how much you mean to me?" cried Naruto.

Hinata was shocked by his words, spoken so emotionally. She didn't have to think for a second that they were true. She trusted him. She loved him. She shouldn't have just accepted that he was a man, and that he would automatically and selfishly want sex. She should have trusted his love for her.

"I love everything about you! Your kindness, your smile, your shyness, your quirks! I love your soft eyes! I love your caring touch! I love the way you hold me, and everything bad seems to disappear! I love you!" cried Naruto.

Naruto dropped to his knees, holding himself tightly.

"Please, Hinata please... Don't leave me... I'll do anything, I'll always do anything for you..." sobbed Naruto in pain.

Suddenly he felt her embrace. He froze. He could feel her body jerking randomly from her own sobbing. He could feel her tears land on his neck. She was holding him so tight, it almost hurt.

"I-I'm sorry!" cried Hinata.

She sobbed into his shoulder for a few more seconds, he was unsure of what direction she was choosing.

"I-I shouldn't have even needed to ask! I t-trust you! I should have known!" cried Hinata.

Naruto could feel her pain pouring from her body. She was feeling her own pain, because she could feel his pain.

"P-Please forgive me... F-forgive m-me for even asking... I... I will _never ever_ leave you..." sobbed Hinata quietly.

Naruto's froze, unsure what to feel. She was going to stay with him?

"Y-you'll stay with me? No m-matter what?" asked Naruto hoarsely.

She tightened her grip on him for a moment before responding.

"Y-you shouldn't even n-need to ask..."whispered Hinata through her fallen tears.

Naruto hugged her back so tightly, it was a little difficult to breath. But she bore with it, because she loved him.

After a few minutes of simply crying into each other's arms, their grips on each other loosened a bit. Naruto's hands traveled almost unconsciously up and down Hinata's back. Her comfort gave his heart comfort. After the silence passed, they just sat in each other's arms, feeling their hearts beating in time with each other. Hinata was the first to say anything.

"I'm t-truly sorry Naruto-kun... I only wanted to be sure that you... we... I mean... (sigh) I should have just trusted you from the beginning, but everything is just so wonderful between us. Everything before now has been so hard to get, and it was always so easily taken away from me... I've pined for you so long, I've dreamed about us, and now that we're together, it's hard for me to believe that it won't be taken from me like everything else and-" rambled Hinata.

Naruto caught Hinata's lips in a short, but tender kiss. He removed his lips from hers, wiping tears from his own eyes.

"Hinata. I won't let anyone take you from me. I promise." said Naruto softly.

Hinata felt like she could have melted into his arms. Their lover's quarrel was over, but now as silence passed by, it seemed a little awkward not to talk to each other.

"..."

"I Um... I can see your ears..." said Hinata quietly.

She noticed that by pointing it out, Naruto withdrew a little bit. Also in response, his ears drooped a little.

"Yeah... I was thinking... I'm done hiding them... you know... I am who I am." said Naruto nervously.

She could see he was nervous, but it wasn't like him to be nervous at all. She was concerned as to what was wrong with him.

"Do you... like my ears?" asked Naruto suddenly.

Suddenly Hinata realized his nervousness. He wasn't nervous about the ears themselves. He was worried that she wouldn't like them.

"(Giggle) I think they're cute... They make you even more handsome..." whispered Hinata with a blush.

"Y-you really think so?" asked Naruto hesitantly.

Hinata reached up around his back, and put her hands on his ears, softly stroking the smooth fur on them.

"D-definitely." muttered Hinata distractedly.

She was a bit pre-occupied with Naruto's furry ears. Something about Naruto having cute fox ears, made her want to pet them... And do several other things.

She held his ears in each hand, holding them between her thumbs and index fingers. slowly, she rubbed her fingers back and forth, feeling the soft texture rubbing against her skin.

_'It's so soft...'_ marveled Hinata.

As she rubbed them, she felt something brush the side of her face that made her jump.

She caught the object in both hands, to see Naruto's golden tail.

Hinata paused for a moment before stroking the tail. She felt its soft fluffy texture between her fingers, and marveled at the comfort she felt by simply touching it.

"Hinata... Our relationship, has never been about sex..." said Naruto quietly.

Naruto's voice caught her attention quickly, but it also gave her guilt.

"I know... I was.. being so selfish by even asking... I just wanted to hear you say it..." whispered Hinata sadly.

A few seconds passed, and the tension was slowly building again.

"I... would be lying if I told you that I don't want to have sex with you..." began Naruto.

Hinata blushed, now squirming only slightly in his arms, holding his tail tightly in embarrassment.

"But... That's not why I'm with you... that's not why I love you. I love who you are... If I didn't, I never would have told you that I loved you... it would have been a lie." said Naruto quietly.

Hinata absorbed his words carefully, taking them to heart, because they came from his heart.

"Now that we are together, I can't imagine us being apart... I want you to understand that, when the time comes... I don't want to have sex with you... I want to make love to you." said Naruto softly.

Hinata blushed deeply, and felt her heart flutter despite her embarrassment.

"But I don't want any part of that... If you don't want it. I will do anything for your love Hinata. I love you too damn much..." whispered Naruto.

Hinata held him tighter, letting her tears fall. Tears of happiness for a change.

"I l-love you too... t-too damn much..." whispered Hinata meekly.

She didn't usually swear, so her response made Naruto chuckle a little.

"So if... I approach you for... that... You'll know that my intentions aren't selfish?" asked Naruto quietly.

"When the time comes that... we do it... I'll know in my heart, that you love me." whispered Hinata.

Naruto smiled and squeezed her, earning a little squeeze in return.

"I've heard that... making love is the greatest physical expression of love there is... And that when two people who love each other make love... It's the most wonderful feeling in the world." said Naruto quietly.

"I-I've heard that too... m-many times..." whispered Hinata bashfully.

"The last thing I wanted was to rush things between us... You have no idea how happy I am that you're simply comfortable with sleeping in the same bed with me..." said Naruto with a short laugh.

"Actually... I'm still n-not comfortable sleeping with you... N-Not to say that I don't enjoy it! B-but I'm still... embarrassed." whispered Hinata bashfully.

"So... Do you want to start sleeping separately again?" asked Naruto sadly.

"N-NO! I mean... Um... No. I want to sleep with you. Every n-night if I can." whispered Hinata bashfully.

Naruto smiled, and picked her up off of the floor. He said nothing as he moved her, not looking away from her eyes.

He promptly pushed Itachi off the bed, and set her down on the center. Ignoring Itachi's grumbles, Naruto crawled on top of her.

Her eyes silently questioned his, but he didn't respond with anything but a sparkle in his eyes. He leaned down and pinned her down against the bed with his body. Then he turned to the side, and embraced her. He held one hand on her upper back, and the other on her lower back. He locked his legs with hers, making it so she couldn't move. She didn't try to move, because she didn't need to. She understood what he was doing now.

"If you want to get used to this... Then I suppose we'll just have to get more experience." said Naruto with a smile.

Hinata giggled in response, and snuggled into him. Her face was beat red in embarrassment, but she knew she would always enjoy simply being with him.

* * *

The window curtains were left open for some reason. For whatever reason it wasn't something they considered before going to bed. Then again, there was a lot of reasons they didn't do a lot of things they usually did before they went to bed. When they were getting ready for bed the night before, TenTen sent him a signal that told him to pin her down and let her know he loved her.

But now that the sun was up, and shining in his eyes, he realized he should have gone through their nightly to-do list instead of falling asleep after sex.

_'Too early...'_ thought Neji.

He snuggled up to TenTen, feeling her bare breasts against his chest.

_'Damn it TenTen, it's way too early for me to be in this mood.'_ thought Neji with a blush.

Well now he had to get up, otherwise he would rile himself up just laying there with her.

He slowly un-entangled himself from his lover's grasp, and stretched his muscles thoroughly.

Once he was done stretching, he walked over to their room's bathroom, and prepared to take a shower.

He stood in the warm falling water, gathering his thoughts as he usually did in the morning.

_'TenTen... How she cried yesterday...' _thought Neji with a frown.

He couldn't get TenTen's tears out of his mind. He hated seeing her like that, it tore at his heart.

_'She knows that when we go back, I will be hunted, and if the charges against me are carried out, I will no longer be among the living...'_ thought Neji.

It was definitely a good reason to be as stressed out as TenTen was.

_'I need to be able to sort this out... Naruto said he would do everything he could to help us, let's start there.'_ thought Neji.

Ever since the Chunnin exams, Naruto had promised Neji that he would change his clan. And now, riding on that promise, he made another one, saying that he would help them clear Neji's name.

_'Naruto may be willing to do everything he can to help, but he is still only one person, against an entire clan.'_ thought Neji.

The more people that got involved in this, the more uncomfortable he got. He didn't want anyone to get hurt on his account, especially TenTen.

_'The longer TenTen stays with me at this point, the longer she suffers...'_ thought Neji.

It was a rather black-and-white view of the situation, but to him it was the truth.

_'The longer she stays with me, the more she'll realize that in order to stay with me, she'll always need to be on the run. My clan will bring her nothing but trouble for the rest of her life. More than likely, they won't let me marry outside of the clan, and they'll seal her.'_ thought Neji.

The running water from the shower was warm, but to him it seemed cold. It was like the water was his clan. It surrounded him, keeping him uncomfortable while being everywhere. He was tied to his clan, and everything he touched came into contact with it. This made everything he touched cold, whether he wanted it to be or not. The world seemed so damn cold, but TenTen was warm, and made him he realized now that he had to stop being selfish. The longer TenTen stayed with him, the faster she would loose her own warmth. She would eventually become as cold as him, as cold as the clan.

He shut off the shower, and stepped out. He felt dead. There wasn't really any other way to describe the feelings crawling through his skin. He had a mindset, and the mindset alone made him feel horrible. But to him, the longer he put this off, the sooner TenTen would be feeling the exact same as he did now. He needed to end this before he completely ruined her life.

He dried himself off, and dressed himself accordingly. He walked out of the bathroom to see TenTen awake. She wasn't out of bed yet, but she didn't look sleepy. She was sitting up, and looking forward. She seemed to be thinking about something very serious, and he had an feeling it had something to do with him.

He walked over to the bed slowly, dreading what he was about to do. He sat down on the side of the bed, but he had no idea whether or not TenTen reacted or not, he didn't look.

"TenTen. I think we should see other people." said Neji.

At first he heard nothing, but he felt TenTen's incredulous stare at the back of his head.

"Wh-what?" laughed TenTen.

Apparently she thought he was making a joke somehow, which only made it harder for him.

"I'm breaking up with you. By doing so, I'm breaking all ties you have with me, and my clan." said Neji.

TenTen had a sudden realization that he was serious. She quickly understood where he was coming from. The problem was, she didn't really know what was the best thing to say.

"N-Neji! You have to be joking! I mean... We've been together through so much now... As soon as your clan found out we were together..." began TenTen.

"You have no idea what they did to me behind closed doors... Do you?" asked Neji suddenly.

Neji didn't leave room for her to respond.

"I've lied to you TenTen." said Neji.

"W-what do you mean?" asked TenTen uneasily.

"I told you that after they found out, they forbid me to see you. I told you that after they forbid me, I argued with them, and negotiated my way to our relationship being okay with them. That was all lies." said Neji.

TenTen didn't know what to say, she didn't know what had happened.

"They didn't just forbid me to go out with you when they found out." said Neji.

Neji took his headband from his forehead, and untied it, letting it fall onto the bed.

His Bird-Cage Seal seemed to stand out solidly against his pale skin, as though it was making a defiant statement that it was always there. Neji didn't say anything for a minute or so, but TenTen didn't say anything. She felt this dreading sensation coming from him. It concerned her greatly, but it also told her he was not done speaking.

"They tortured me TenTen." said Neji finally.

TenTen froze.

"W-what?" asked TenTen shakily.

She was hoping she hadn't heard him correctly.

"They tortured me with my seal. It was unbearable pain. I've described it to you before." said Neji.

TenTen was completely shaken, and she felt her eyes starting to water up.

"I couldn't argue with them. I couldn't even speak through the pain... The only reason they allowed our relationship in the end, was because they knew they could use you against me." said Neji.

"U-use me?" asked TenTen shakily.

She didn't like this. She dreaded what he was saying, and what she feared him to say next.

"They knew that as long as I had feelings for you... they could threaten your life. They could threaten your life in order to get me to do absolutely anything they asked." said Neji.

TenTen was visibly and emotionally upset, but she was a quick thinker.

"W-why did they need to do that? I thought they already had that control with your... with your seal." said TenTen hesitantly.

"No. They have tortured me many times. But I began to show them, that their torturing was doing nothing to sway me. So they threatened my life. But I knew they could not take my life, because of my valuable fighting skills. I am renowned next to Hiashi in skill, and I knew they couldn't afford to lose me. I pointed this out to them, and they grew furious. When they found out that we were together TenTen, they were surely ecstatic. They realized that they could not sway me by threatening my life, but they could threaten yours." said Neji solemnly.

TenTen's mind was whirring among the chaos of emotions in her heart. She was beginning to realize where Neji kept disappearing to back in the village, and why he always looked so tired and beaten whenever she actually saw him.

"W-when I suspected you of sneaking around before... you were actually being subjected to your clan's whim?" asked TenTen quietly.

"It is a lot more complicated than that, but yes. (Sigh) Just listen to reason TenTen. I've kept this a secret until now. I didn't want you to ever find out that I'd gone through such things just to be with you." said Neji.

"Then why break up with me now? After all you've gone through to be with me! After all we've been through together..." began TenTen emotionally.

"You must have realized by now TenTen. The longer you stay with me, the more you'll get hurt. My clan has taken more lives than anyone count, and without killing a single person." said Neji solemnly.

Neji put his hand over his forehead, as if holding a painful wound.

"I won't let you join us." said Neji.

TenTen's eyes were watery, and she looked like she was holding back her tears.

"So that's it then? You're taking the decision out of my hands?" asked TenTen shakily.

"If I can. I don't want you to suffer... you deserve better." said Neji.

TenTen's tears finally flowed from her eyes, and she quickly tried wiping them away, but they kept returning.

"There isn't anyone better!" cried TenTen.

"I have a clan that will seal and enslave you for the rest of your life. Surely there is someone better." said Neji.

"I'm not talking about the clan! I'm talking about you! I don't want anyone but you!" cried TenTen.

"You can't have just me. The clan comes with me. It's a package deal." said Neji dryly.

Neji was starting to get annoyed with TenTen. He was trying to free her from his clan, but she just wouldn't listen to reason. He was going through _enough_ emotional scarring just trying to break up with her, but she was continuing to make it harder for him.

"How can you be like this! Are you telling me you want to be with anyone other than me?" cried TenTen.

I... (Sigh) Of course I don't. But this isn't about me. It's about you. I'm doomed for life, but you don't have to be." reasoned Neji.

"Neji! I _will_ be doomed for life if you leave me all alone! I won't ever want anyone else! I'll be miserable for the rest of my life without you!" cried TenTen loudly.

Suddenly Neji stood up, his fists clenched at his sides.

"If you stay with me, you'll be even more miserable! You'll be a slave to anyone ranked higher than you in our clan! They could make you do _anything_! Do you really want that? To be a slave for the rest of your life?" shouted Neji angrily.

TenTen stopped crying for a moment with her mouth open in surprise. Neji rarely ever raised his voice, let alone shouted. But what he said made her realize what she would have to go through to be with Neji.

The silence from TenTen was palpable to him. He closed his eyes and made his way to the hotel door.

"Yes." said TenTen Quietly.

Neji stopped when he heard her soft voice, and turned to face her. She was smiling, and the tears flowing from her eyes seemed to be from happiness. Neji was completely thrown off by her state of happiness. How could she be happy when he was breaking up with her?

"What do you mean, yes?" asked Neji.

TenTen smiled a little more, and stood up from the bed. She quickly walked over to Neji, and threw her arms around him. His first thought was to throw her off of him, but he found that he couldn't. Her embrace always brought him comfort, and he was extremely stressed, especially from breaking up with her.

"As long as it means I'll be with you... Yes. I will be a slave the rest of my life. I would rather be enslaved in misery with you, than to be without you." said TenTen emotionally.

Neji was floored. He couldn't believe she felt that way. He had gone most of his life believing that everyone thought selfishly, that everyone only looked out for themselves. But then he met Gai, Lee, and TenTen. And he met Naruto. Naruto was really just the first person to make him realize that people cared about him. Even if it was in the form of a fist to his face. After that, he had become closer to his teammates than ever before, and he could even call them his friends. At that point, he realized TenTen's feelings for him. And with that realization, came feelings of his own. All it took was one night in an underground tunnel to get them together. But now that TenTen was here, in his arms, pledging undying love to him... He felt tears coming to his eyes. He suddenly turned away from TenTen, scaring her for a moment. She thought he was rejecting her for a second. But then she saw him covering his eyes with one sleeve. She smiled warmly.

"Neji... Are you crying?" asked TenTen happily.

"O-of course not! I just have an irritant in my eye..." mumbled Neji.

She almost laughed a little, but she knew Neji didn't like other people to see him cry, especially her.

"Oh Neji!" cried TenTen happily.

She flung her arms around his shoulders, holding him from behind. She was so happy, and all just because she was with him. For some reason, it really took a life changing event to put her relationship with Neji into perspective. She would willingly be a slave for him.

A thought in her head popped up and stuck there. She couldn't get it out of her mind. Maybe it was because she was still naked, but despite the emotional mood, she was feeling frisky.

TenTen leaned up close to Neji's ear and whispered softly.

"I'm willing to be a slave Neji... Your slave." whispered TenTen erotically.

Neji's face immediately flushed red.

"Whenever you get in the mood, I'll be naked on the bed... You can do whatever you want to me..." whispered TenTen.

The eroticism practically oozed from her voice.

"You'll be lucky if we even make it to the bed." said Neji calmly.

"What's that supposed to mea-AH! Neji!"

* * *

The crowds were bustling. The mood was tense. The salty air seemed to be clogging his sinuses.

"It wasn't so bad when we were farther away from the ocean, but now that we're right next to it... It's actually preventing me from honing in on Hinata's scent." said Kiba.

They had only been in the town for an hour, but they were all starting to get impatient.

"You said you knew exactly where she was." complained Ino.

"I said I knew what direction she was. Now that we are among the buildings, and I have lost my ability to track her, we can only guess where she is." said Kiba.

"Well, at least you initially gave us an advantage. We know she is in this small section of the town." said Sai.

"A lot of good that does us. There are hotels, bars, and restaurants in every direction. They could be anywhere here." said Gaara.

"I happen to agree with Sai. At least we have it narrowed down." said Gai.

"Yes, would you rather be searching the _entire_ town for them?" asked Houkou.

"(Sigh) I suppose your right." muttered Gaara.

"So how do you think we should go about doing this now that Kiba is useless?" asked Sai.

"Hey! I'm not useless!" growled Kiba.

"I didn't mean to offend you. I was merely pointing out a tactical fact." said Sai with a smile.

"I hate you! Gah! I just want to fuck you up!" growled Kiba.

"You would. You raving homosexual." said Sai.

"W-what?" exclaimed Kiba in confusion.

"Enough. We need to find them. We need to hurry. We need a plan." said Sakura.

"Right. I say we split up, and go from door to door." said Gai.

"What?" exclaimed Ino.

"It may seem like an incredulous idea based on how many doors there are, but it would practically guarantee our success." said Gai.

"So we would be guaranteed to search every place in this section without missing anything?" asked Lee.

"Sounds promising, but not efficient time-wise. Tsunade said that Naruto had little time left." said Sakura.

"Well then, we had better hurry." said Gaara.

They all nodded to each other and took off in several directions, hoping to find the other team as soon as possible.

* * *

END OF CHAPTER


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